The Midnight Choir; Gene Kerrigan

I think I found this in my feed reader while browsing through the Guardian online book section. Mr. Kerrigan is or was a journalist for a newspapers and magazines in Ireland. I’ve read one other title written by an actively working journalist. Generally, I find the quality of the writing to be high & the narrative compelling. The edition I read was published in 2006 by Europa and had a drab green cover. Yes I know I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover- I ordered this from interlibrary loan without seeing the cover. Recently though I’ve found other covers on the internet.

What I didn’t realize in my first forays into crime fiction, if I can call it that, is that certain subtypes are harder edged than others. And that crime fiction, like all genre fiction is often underestimated by those who are unfamiliar with it. Yes, I am one of those people. Crime fiction has within it other subtypes. Police procedurals are told from the point of view of the police although the perpetrator is usually known to the reader from the start. Noir fiction is often told by the criminal or someone intimately involved with committing the crime and is known to be unsentimental and unsparing in its look at society’s underbelly.

I have to admit my ignorance here. I’m primarily a romance and science fiction/fantasy reader, with a sprinkling of straight up fiction thrown in. My knowledge of police procedural and whodunit crime mysteries has been limited to characters like Sherlock Holmes, Sano Ichiro, Miss Marple and Sister Fidelma. Through watching Maigret and Wallender and a German detective series called Tatort in German (Scene of the Crime by our local tv station) my interest turned to similar literature. After I finished reading The Midnight Choir it occurred to me that there are distinct similarities between D.I. Synott and to characters in the US tv series The Shield and to the movie The Secret Window.

The Midnight Choir is set in modern Ireland. The narrative takes place over the course of a week, starting on Wednesday. Point of view swings between characters depending on what case is at the forefront. Mr. Kerrigan masterfully demonstrates to the reader that the assumptions you make regarding the protagonist, in this case Detective Inspector Harry Synott, are not necessarily the truth. To be clear, these are things that it appears Det. Insp. Synott believes about himself, thus inducing this reader to believe them too. I suppose that my inherent cynicism regarding motivation in actual human beings doesn’t always translate over into fiction. No matter. When I recognized the trend things were taking, it spurred many conversations between the Hubby and I regarding power, corruption, and the slow deterioration of the demarcation between right and wrong. Not that the line was ever clear and bright and unmistakable.

Despite my own initial misunderstanding of what this book might be labeled, The Midnight Choir grabbed me from the start and didn’t let go. I’m hopeful I can find more of his work, although I think it’ll have to be via interlibrary loan as his work is in neither my local library nor the local bookstores. Excellent read.

The Magician's Guild; Trudi Canavan

I think I’m late getting on the Trudi Canavan bandwagon. If you’re not already aboard, you’re missing a great storyteller. The Magician’s Guild is the first novel in Ms. Canavan’s Black Magician’s Trilogy. The second book is The Novice and the third is The High Lord both of which are available. Her newest title is __________ out in hardcover, I believe. Just a minor little rant here. I borrowed this via interlibrary loan. After I read it I requested the other two titles. They could only find one. The third one. I mean, really? What use is reading only the first and the third book in a three book series? I ended up buying the second one, so now I own only one of the set. Annoying! Yes, I’m a little OCD about my books. Why do you ask?

Imardin is a socially stratified citystate, ruled by King Merin. Most of the citizenry are nonmagical folks of every class. Dwells are ordinary everyday folk, thieves control the underground (both literally & criminally) and crafters are skilled laborers. You have House and Rogue magicians, who, once they are identified, seem to be automatically elevated into the highest class. Only the aristocracy, known as aristos, can become magicians. They’re the crème de la crème. Then you have your vagrants, society’s dregs. Homeless, jobless, uneducated & without prospects, they live in dread of being caught in the annual purge. What’s that you ask? Why, it’s when the magicians drive as many of the vagrants out of the city as they can.

Sonea is a teenage vagrant and former street gang member whose family aspires to become crafters. Parted from her friends by her family’s financial needs, she comes across some of her former pals during what turns out to be a purge. In an effort to warn her friends Sonea is caught up and her future becomes dire in the blink of an eye. For Sonea is a natural born magician, something that the Magicians haven’t seen in many many years and some thought didn’t exist at all. For a slum dweller to be a very powerful magician? Unheard of, and for some, unwelcome.

Sonea is traumatized and afraid of what is happening to her. She doesn’t know who to trust or where to turn. Her friend Ceryni (Cery) takes her under his wing. Together they embark on a whirlwind, frightening tour of the seamier side of Imardin in an effort to hide her from the magicians. The magicians of the Guild are looking for Sonea because untrained Magicians can cause great harm to the populace and the city if they don’t learn to control their gift. So the magicians want to get to Sonea before she..explodes, sort of. To either help her learn to control her gift or to bind her gift in such a way that she can never use it. Sonea and Cery don’t know any of this, though . Cery’s father was Thief and Sonea’s family are slum dwellers. Neither of them trust Magicians or Aristos at all.

That’s the basic set up: girl with strong and powerful gift tries to evade the (mostly male) Guild authorities. The end third or so of the book sets up internecine strife within the guild and potentially within Imardin. The book isn’t told in first person, but is primarily from Sonea’s point of view spliced in with one or two of the magicians who are looking for her.

I have to say that my first reaction to this book, other than “Wow, this is fantastic, I have to order to the rest of these” was “this is what I wish Sarah Monette’s book Melusine , link to my review here, was more like.” I can’t quite fully explain that impression except to say that I wish Felix’s personality was more similar to Sonea’s, that he was less damaged or that Mildmay was the protagonist. This book also had echoes of Sharon Shinn’s Thirteen Houses series. Anyhow, I recommend The Magician’s Guild for anyone who likes character centered fantasy with strong female protagonists. I already have the nest two books in the trilogy.


Cover image found on TRudi Canavan's website, link in title above.

Computer problems

Posting may be iffy for a while, the home pc has picked up a horrible illness & I'm having to post from either the hubby's laptop (which is only here at home sporadically) or from the library. Unfortunately I'd written up several posts & saved them-on the other computer. :(

$1 ebooks

Orbit books, probably best known for science fiction & fantasy, has started a new site where they're offering one free ebook per month. The site doesn't say how long the promotion will run, but they do say that each title will be available for one month only. This month it's Marie Brennan"s Midnight Never Come.

Next month it'll be:


Brennan cover image found on Orbit

Kindle owners beware??

If you're a kindle owner, you might want to click over to Consumerist.com to read a little article about hidden limits on how many times you can download a title. I'm not sure how new this actually is, but I thought someone out there might like to know. Consumerist is pretty widely read but not everyone stops by. The article has the details. Go read. Might be something you want or need to know before buying. Link in title & in post. Cheers all. Onwards towards total Amazon domination! lol ;)

Ruby's Slippers; Leanna Ellis

Ruby’s Slippers by Leanna Ellis is a contemporary Christian women’s fiction novel set primarily in California. This is the second title I’ve read by Ms. Ellis, which was sent to me for review by B&H Publishing. While acknowledging that two titles is hardly a large enough soap box from which to preach, it seems to me that Ms. Ellis writes of women who are at a major turning point in their lives. A time when the confluence of events and people impel a woman to assess who she is and where she is going.

Ruby’s Slipper’s is such a novel. As both the title and the cover imply the novel follows a similar path, both literally and symbolically, as the characters in the Wizard of Oz: fellow travelers have a mission to accomplish, their path is replete with peril and misinformation, the exact destination & outcome are unknown. I have to say that while I enjoy the movie significantly more now than I did when I was a child, it is not something with which I’ve more than a glancing familiarity. I very much enjoyed figuring out which book character matched up with which movie character.

The plot is deceptively simple. Two sisters, whose mother has been deceased only a year, own a small family farm in rural Kansas. Their father disappeared when the girls were barely out of toddlerhood. The younger sister, Abby, is an actress in California, the older, Dorothy, a teacher who cared for their mother in her waning years. The farm has been a bone of contention between them ever since she died. Until the day a major tornado hits the tiny town and flattens the Meyers homestead, inflicting a head injury on the oldest daughter. Abby brings Dottie to California to recover. After that everything changes.

Ms. Ellis’ plot doesn’t go quite where this reader rather thought it would. It was fabulous! I became quite fascinated with unraveling the various threads in my mind and then reweaving them once I realized that I was quite wrong after all. LOL  As for theme, you’ve your pick of several. One, that there are two sides to every story and it’s best to try and learn what they both are. Two, fear and anger are often bedfellows and frequently feed each other. Three, the dawn must come eventually no matter how dark and menacing the night may be. And four, it’s always possible to begin anew.

A wonderfully fun insightful read. Excellent for the summer.

Free Lara Adrian book

Via PBackwriter, one of Lara Adrian's books is available free for download from Random House. Click here to go to their page, PBwriter says it's available only for a short time so don't wait!

Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell

I was first made aware of this title by Pianist's French teacher (he was in 7th grade at the time) in an email. She wanted him to read it. Unfulfilled expectations and all that. This review isn't about him, though. So the day I read the email I put myself on the library waiting list for this book. I was number forty seven. Bummer. It took five months before it was our turn. In the meantime, I watched Charlie Rose's interview with Mr. Gladwell.

In America, the mythos of the self made man is a deeply entrenched, beloved belief that is in some ways central to our culture. Generally, we're supposed to believe that here in the US anyone, from anywhere, from any background can rise to the top of our society through their own hard work & very little else. Like cream rises from milk. Unbidden & naturally. We like to pretend such things are practically guaranteed by the constitution, for heavens' sake! Or so the thought goes.

IMO, it's quite easy to sum up Outliers: it's a thoughtfully written, soundly defended debunking of the myth of the self made man. Mr. Gladwell's position is that preferential treatment can be based on such arbitrary measures as birth dates, generational size and parenting style. He argues that coincidental circumstances and arbitrary random sorting of children often boosts one group over another. Success, according to this position, results from cumulative advantages & isn't merely the result of native ability.

Mr. Gladwell reveals that parenting styles may differ by economic class- and that these seemingly inconsequential differences can ultimately have a serious impact on how much better one child may do as opposed to another. In other words, socialization training taught in the home can have more impact for better or for worse on a child's trajectory than many parents may be willing to admit.In young children an age difference as little as four or six months can make a huge difference in academic and athletic outcomes. He uses the Canadian hockey training system and American kindergartners as effective examples. In other words, future achievement is predicted better by family involvement, location, culture and cumulative advantages that started early in life- not necessarily intelligence quotient, work ethic and other nebulous characteristics.

Mr. Gladwell discusses such vagaries as how Asian language structures inherently confer advantages on their young learners that English does not- giving their children a strong and enduring boost up the ladder that lasts through their childhood into their adulthood. Gladwell shows how it may take a few generations for a family or group to boost itself out of one economic class into another and he tells us how much effort that entails & what the rewards and sacrifices may be.

Outliers isn't a book I'd've necessarily picked up on my own and for that I'm grateful to the French teacher. Anyone who is interested in the sociological origins of success and how various factors impact each individual should pick this up. It's a fascinating read.

Ebooks vs. Actual Books

I posted a column over at Access Romance discussing my love for actual physical books despite the inevitable coming digital publishing revolution. Click title above to go to column directly.

TBR Challenge: Hidden Honor, Anne Stuart

One of my all time favorite keepers is an old book by Anne Stuart, Lord of Danger. Click title above to go to challenge webpage. Click here to go to author's webpage. So when this month's TBR Challenge rolled around & I looked up the theme I was thrilled. After all, Anne Stuart's heroes are often unique and push the boundaries of what an acceptable hero is. And I just happen to have four of Ms. Stuart's historicals in my TBR. Lucky me! So I chose this one. For those who wonder about cover accuracy: the cover accurately portrays Elizabeth's hair and dress! It's a nice touch, I think.

So, Hidden Honor is a 2004 Mira release set in early thirteenth century England (near as I can tell). For romance readers familiar with the terms, this is a combination road & in disguise romance. Young Elizabeth (17) is being sent to a convent by her widower father as she's too skinny, too ugly and too stupid to get a husband (dad's words, not mine). It just so happens that the bastard son of King John, one William Fitzroy, is traveling to the Shrine of St. Anne to confess and do penance for (accidentally) murdering a well born young woman. Fearful of an ambush on his life, an elaborate role switch takes place among William's retinue. William is disguised as a monk named Br. Matthew, a monk named Br. Peter takes William's place & yet another young nobleman named Adrian is also along pretending to be a monk, albeit using his own name.

You can see where this is going right? Peter, pretending to be William, falls in lust with Elizabeth. Elizabeth is kept in the dark as to who is whom, and her father sends her on her merry way with this group since she is to join the convent at the Shrine. Understandably squicked out by the attention the murderous William pays to her, Elizabeth is confused by her intuition, which tells her that William (in truth, Peter) means her no harm. Along the way they pick up a cookie cutter 'wise whore with a heart of gold' named Joanne so that she can impart some words of wisdom to young Elizabeth along the way.

Really, this could've been an excellent read. I mean, Ms. Stuart's rep is for truly out there heroes. Peter's past history with William is only slowly revealed & late into the book- but plays a crucial role in what unfolds. I think Peter could've been, should've been, edgier. He is portrayed as remorseful, penitent, guilty over what passed between himself and William, but he never seems to question his judgement. And what transpired between them should've raised quite a few questions regarding his own judgement and morality and responsibility. Aside from wishing Peter was edgier & sharper, I really enjoyed the secondary romance between Joanne and Adrian. Elizabeth annoyed me, to be truthful. I had to constantly remind myself that she's only seventeen & what can you expect from a teenager after all?! I would've been happier if Elizabeth was older, more experienced, to match Peter's issues better. I mean, really, a seventeen year old?

So, yeah, kinda disappointed here. Not quite up to par, IMO. Good but not quite there. :( Aw well, we can't always be at the top of out game, can we?

The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns; Elizabeth Leiknes

This is, I believe, Ms. Leiknes' debut novel published by Bancroft Press out of Charm City (aka Baltimore MD), up the road a bit from Bookwormom Central.Link to author's website in title above. I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review. The flap lists this as romantic comedy, my assessment is that it's paranormal chick lit- a subgenre that's currently selling well & is popular. I like the voice & the pacing & the story is cute and hides its deeper meaning pretty well. I wish Ms. Leiknes much success & future book deals.

The plot is your classic Faustian bargain: as an eleven year old Lucille Burns' older sister is hit by a truck and is hospitalized with a coma. Lucy writes a letter 'to whom it may concern' and promises that if Ellen is ok she will 'be forever in your debt' and put the letter in their magic mailbox. The next morning Ellen is miraculously healed. In the magic mailbox a note appears, "it's a deal..I'll be in touch."

Fast forward nineteen years: Lucy has had to give up her family and forgo personal relationships with men because her job requires her to be on the down low all the time. What is her job? Lucy's a facilitator for the Devil. She's to ensure that evil people get to their final destination. To do this she's given a few paranormal powers, a magic basement that leads to hell, and a type of were-dog that's alternately a normal scruffy mutt and satan's minion. She has inhumanly perky breasts and never breaks out during her period. She can eat lots and lots of chocolate and never gains weight.

For all of the her superficiality and her physical perfection, Lucy is unfulfilled and lonely. Although she's good friends with the earth mother neighbor and her kids next door Lucy misses her sister and really wants a steady man in her life. Kids of her own maybe. None of which are available to her unless she can figure out how to break the contract she made as an eleven year old. The turning point comes when the earth mother neighbor takes Lucy to a concert to see Lucy's favorite easy listening idol perform.

The novel hangs together tightly- which I loved. Sometimes story elements are unevenly treated in shorter novels, but the author avoids that this time around. Ms. Leiknes touches on some deeper themes than your usual genre novel: the disconnectedness of modern life, wish fulfillment vs. personal development, morality, ambiguity, and others. I did have some problems with the narrative, mostly to do with characterization and plot details and the too neat wrap up at the end. Mostly minor, and not enough to stop me dead in my tracks. The story fit well for the length of the book (only 167 pages). The Sinful Life of Lucy Burns is a light quick read- good poolside or beach umbrella reading. Or, if you prefer, it can be a meditation on modern life,moral ambiguity and easy listening lyrics! Enjoy!

Image found on B&N.

15 Books, 15 Minutes

Found on Annie Kelleher's blog, writers and witches and words oh my, a quick game where you list 15 books that made an impact on you, but you can only take 15 minutes to list them:

1. Summer Lightning, PG Wodehouse

2. Edgar Allen Poe's short stories

3. To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee

4. Robert Louis Stevenson's children's poems

5. Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes, Marguerite d'Angeli

6. Merchant of Venice, William Shakespeare

7. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne

8. The Great Sermon Handicap, PG Wodehouse

9. A Lesson Before Dying, Earnest J. Gaines

10. Breath, Eyes, Memory; Edwidge Danticat

11. The Strangeness of Memory, Lydia Minatoya

12. The Complete Sherlock Holmes, Arthur Conan Doyle

13. Moreta, Anne McCaffrey

14. Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

15. The Ocean Between Us, Susan Wiggs

Shameless Plug

I've been following this blog for years, Random Acts of Reality, written by a London native who goes by Tom Reynolds. MBMS&ACOT is based on Reynolds' work based blog & is, in fact, his second book. It's great stuff if you're into behind the scenes medical realities all too often glossed over. My hubby's a nurse, many's the time when I've bookmarked a post & made him read it later. Or I've handed him the laptop demanding "read this!!"

Reynolds' book, titled More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea, linked here to Amazon page. Need a review? The Guardian has a combo review interview up, click here to read (can't remember if you have to register, sorry). Click here to read Harper Collins page.

As I mentioned, I've lurked on his blog for years & love to read his stories. I'm not a shill, I've not received an arc or a free box of latex gloves for mentioning his book here. Simply put: I like to cheer on fellow bloggers who've successfully made it into print. Reynolds has a deft way of delineating both the light and the dark sides of humanity. Please try it out, it's well worth it.

London Ambulance Service vehicle image found on policeblue999's Flickr photostream

Cover image found on Harper Collins UK.

Simon & Schuster & Scribd.com News

Via the New York Times, Simon & Schuster & Scribd.com have signed a deal to make S&S titles available on Scribd.com. Good news for ebook lovers!

Blogvertisement Rules Coming?

Found on Consumerist.com last night, Consumerist says (via Consumer Reports) that the Federal Trade Commission is proposing to require bloggers to post whether or not they have received payment or compensation to post and or discuss an item on said blog.

Personally I think this it's only right that bloggers tell people when they have received compensation to review/discuss/promote items on a blog. Here on my blog, I will put a note in the post and in the tags on the bottom of the post if I've received a promotional copy (arc or galley) of a book. I do very few of these. The majority of books reviewed or discussed here are either owned by me or a member of my family, was a gift or was borrowed from the library.

What do you think?

Which Fantasy Writer are You?

Found at Grasping for the Wind: a little quiz called Which Fantasy Writer are You?

Your result for Which fantasy writer are you?...

China Miéville (b. 1972)

9 High-Brow, 11 Violent, -13 Experimental and -3 Cynical!

Congratulations! You are High-Brow, Violent, Traditional and Romantic! These concepts are defined below.

China Miéville writes in the British fantasy tradition of authors like Mervyn Peake and Michael Moorcock, a tradition which is a little darker than the Tolkien kind, but Miéville is also a great renewer, as he has taken care to challenge, for example, race-related (or, to be exact, species-related) stereotypes in fantasy. His great breakthrough came with the award-winning novel Perdido Street Station (2000), which is set in the sprawling city of New Crobuzon in the secondary world Bas-Lag. Apart from its urban setting, Perdido Street Station also differ from Tolkien-style fantasy by taking place in an era reminiscent of the Victorian age rather than the typical quasi-medieval setting of so-called high fantasy. This means that Miéville has the opportunity to explore his socialist beliefs in a fantasy environment, even if both Perdido Street Station and its two sequels also feature monsters, adventures and such.

Setting his book in a rather dictatorical society and occasionally spinning his sories around resistance against an oppressive government means that Miéville's books sometimes contain rather horrible violence, made all the scarier because it's often conducted legally by a ruling government. This also makes the boks rather romantic; although the struggle is difficult, the struggle continues and whether you are a socialist like Miéville or not, it's easy to sympathize with the message that the world can be changed for the better. It should also be pointed out that although Miéville is often inventive and has a love for spicing up his prose with archaic words, his books are, narratively speaking, traditional adventure stories. Actually, Miéville has made a point of taking genres such as the pirate story and the Western story and retelling them in a fantasy environment.

Still, Miéville has brought fantasy to new literary heights and can be said to represent hope for the genre's future.

You are also a lot like Michael Moorcock.

If you want something more gentle, try Susan Cooper.

If you'd like a challenge, try your exact opposite, Orson Scott Card.

Your score

This is how to interpret your score: Your attitudes have been measured on four different scales, called 1) High-Brow vs. Low-Brow, 2) Violent vs. Peaceful, 3) Experimental vs. Traditional and 4) Cynical vs. Romantic. Imagine that when you were born, you were in a state of innocence, a tabula rasa who would have scored zero on each scale. Since then, a number of circumstances (including genetical, cultural and environmental factors) have pushed you towards either end of these scales. If you're at 45 or -45 you would be almost entirely cynical, low-brow or whatever. The closer to zero you are, the less extreme your attitude. However, you should always be more of either (eg more romantic than cynical). Please note that even though High-Brow, Violent, Experimental and Cynical have positive numbers (1 through 45) and their opposites negative numbers (-1 through -45), this doesn't mean that either quality is better. All attitudes have their positive and negative sides, as explained below.

High-Brow vs. Low-Brow

You received 9 points, making you more High-Brow than Low-Brow. Being high-browed in this context refers to being more fascinated with the sort of art that critics and scholars tend to favour, rather than the best-selling kind. At their best, high-brows are cultured, able to appreciate the finer nuances of literature and not content with simplifications. At their worst they are, well, snobs.

Violent vs. Peaceful

You received 11 points, making you more Violent than Peaceful. Please note that violent in this context does not mean that you, personally, are prone to violence. This scale is a measurement of a) if you are tolerant to violence in fiction and b) whether you see violence as a means that can be used to achieve a good end. If you are, and you do, then you are violent as defined here. At their best, violent people are the heroes who don't hesitate to stop the villain threatening innocents by means of a good kick. At their worst, they are the villains themselves.

Experimental vs. Traditional

You received -13 points, making you more Traditional than Experimental. Your position on this scale indicates if you're more likely to seek out the new and unexpected or if you are more comfortable with the familiar, especially in regards to culture. Note that traditional as defined here does not equal conservative, in the political sense. At their best, traditional people don't change winning concepts, favouring storytelling over empty poses. At their worst, they are somewhat narrow-minded.

Cynical vs. Romantic

You received -3 points, making you more Romantic than Cynical. Your position on this scale indicates if you are more likely to be wary, suspicious and skeptical to people around you and the world at large, or if you are more likely to believe in grand schemes, happy endings and the basic goodness of humankind. It is by far the most vaguely defined scale, which is why you'll find the sentence "you are also a lot like x" above. If you feel that your position on this scale is wrong, then you are probably more like author x. At their best, romantic people are optimistic, willing to work for a good cause and inspiring to their peers. At their worst, they are easily fooled and too easily lead.

Author picture by the talented artist "Molosovsky". Visit http://www.flickr.com/people/25360041@N06/ for more!

Take Which fantasy writer are you? at HelloQuizzy

Award Time!

The Lemonade Award


Gwendolyn B of A Sea of Books awarded me the Lemonade Award. This is a real feel-good award for blogs that show great attitude or gratitude. What a compliment!

1) Put the Lemonade Award logo on your blog or post.

2) Nominate at least 10 blogs that show great attitude or gratitude.

3) Link to your nominees within your post.

4) Let the nominees know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5) Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.

Due to my perpetual disorganization and my unholy love for google feed reader I'm primarily a lurker. I don't comment much anymore. If you have no idea who I am, that's ok. LOL :) You're probably on my reader & one of my regular morning coffee cup reads so to speak. I really like the nominated blogs & I hope you accept the award in the 'spread the love' spirit in which it was intended.


1. Kailana at The Written World

2. CindyS at Nocturnal Wonderings

3. Jessica at Racy Romance Reviews

4. Jill at Romance Rookie

5. Karen & Aztec Lady at Karen Knows Best

6. Louise at Lous_Pages

7. Keishon at Avid Reader

8. Nath at Books, Books & More Books

9. Orannia at Walkabout

10. KristieJ at Ramblings on Romance

Beyond Heaving Bosoms; Wendell & Tan

Beyond Heaving Bosoms: The Smart Bitches Guide to Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan was published by Fireside Books in April 2009. Link to their blog & bbook page in the title above. It’s a little tough to categorize, since I think it’s a hybrid between humor and literary criticism. I found my copy in the lit crit section of my local B&N. The authors run a romance book blog, eponymously named Smart Bitches Trashy Books. I’ve been a loyal lurker on the site for several years now & I was thrilled beyond belief to find this in a brick and mortar bookstore.

The ‘pink aisle’ of your local bookstore, aka the romance section, is, if you believe readers’ gossip, the dregs of literature. There are so many snide, attitude laden smears repeated about romance I couldn’t list them all: they’re all the same, they’re porn for women, since they all end happily they have nothing valid to say, they encourage unhealthy relationship stereotypes, romance is so bad it makes science fiction and fantasy look good, and on and on and on. Loyal readers are known to make or buy book covers to hide their books in so that they won’t get hassled for their choice of reading material.

Yet, these same supposedly mouth breathing soap opera watching uneducated unemployed unfulfilled housewives buy billions of dollars worth of romances every year. We joke that we bankroll the publishing industry year after year after year, and will continue to do so even in the Depression 2.0. We are some of the most loyal, most prolific book buyers out there. If asked many devoted readers say they will cut back on every other budget item- except books. Many of us are also dedicated library patrons.

What does Beyond Heaving Bosoms have to say about romance? A lot, truth be told. Much of it quite blue and quite funny. This isn’t intended to be an academic treatise defending romance, but it is an in depth look at could be called an insider’s body of knowledge. Things that long term readers are familiar with, but which usually confuse and annoy newbies. For example: hero and heroine character types, common plot tropes, romance novel code words (for example, did you know that the word mistress when used in an Harlequin has it’s own definition?), rape, sexual agency, those horrible clinch covers, and finally, theories on the directions in which romance will be moving in the future. The online ‘you must be nice no matter what” aka “if you don’t have anything nice to say..” culture is discussed. Oh- there are also games such as romance mad libs, funniest book related game EVER.

Beyond Heaving Bosoms is a must read for long time romance readers, even if you only want to be able to defend your choice of reading material. For those readers who have wondered why romances have been likened to “book crack” this a great way to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood. Welcome. Come on in. The water’s fine.

Cover image found on Barnes & Noble.

20th Anniv. Tiananman Square

Please take a moment to remember the student democracy activists who were killed in Tiananmen Square twenty years ago today. Click here for wiki article. I think in China dragons are said to represent good luck, and thus I wish true representative democracy growth, prosperity and good luck.

Weekend Fun

We had a great weekend. Busy, but great. Saturday was the first weekend day off Hubby's had in way too long. We planned some fun & thankfully the weather held.

Drove to Arlington to see the Air Force Cycling Classic (formerly CSC Invitational). We found a nice spot under a tree although it was on the inside of a curve, so we didn't get the head on perspective like last year. Anime Queen & Hubby are quite fair skinned though, so it all worked out for the best. We left before they were done, although #123 had nearly lapped the peloton.

Drove fifteen minutes down the road to watch the 2nd annual Mayor's Cup Rugby match- Alexandria Select 15 Vs. Dundee HS Select 15. As is to be expected, Dundee won. I am totally in the dark about rugby, but I must say it was very exciting. I'm totally a convert. It's depressing, though. We'll have to travel quite a way to see games here. Both of the kids expressed an interest in playing if we can find a league closer to home.

Have pix. Will load them tonight.

May Synopsis

Listed below are the books I read last month. #6-8 have been reviewed & are hyperlinked. Reviews for #1-5 will be hyperliked when the reviews go up or when I make my June synopsis. #8 is actually a reread, but since it wasn't in my archives I'm counting it toward my annual numbers.

Edited 12 July 2009~ Added hyperlinks for #s 1-5


1. Outliers; Malcolm Gladwell

2. Beyond Heaving Bosoms; Sarah Wendell & Candy Tan

3. The Magician's Guild; Trudi Canavan

4. The Midnight Choir; Gene Kerrigan

5. Scar Night; Alan Campbell

6. When He Was Wicked; Julia Quinn

7. Rooftops of Tehran; Mahbod Seraji

8. Four in Hand; Stephanie Laurens

Four in Hand; Stephanie Laurens

I didn't realize this is the second Stephanie Laurens book I've reread for the Challenge until I'd already finished it. :( Even so, it's late & I've no time or interest in rereading something else so I've put a post it note on my calender reminding me not to pick Ms. Laurens next time! LOL The title links to Ms. Laurens page that has the original back cover blurbs. This link connects you to the page listing all of Ms. Laurens' regencies. This is truly a book out of the Wayback Machine. Four in Hand was originally published by Mills & Boon back in 1993! My copy is the 2002 version, which is the cover I've posted here, many thanks to the folks over at Fantastic Fiction. FIH is your basic traditional regency guardian ward theme romance.

Max Rotherbridge, the new Duke of Trowbridge, is rousted out of bed by his staff at the ungodly hour of nine am (!!) because a young lady awaits him in the downstairs parlor. Yes, Your Grace, an actual young lady. Miss Caroline Twinning (just like the tea), age twenty five (and unmarried, can you imagine?!) has arrived at Max's house to discuss his guardianship of herself and her three sisters. To say that Caroline was shocked & upset upon seeing Max's evident youth & savvy is to overstate matters considerably. To her immense credit, however, Caroline sees immediately that the Twinning sisters' hopes of hijinks in London under the doddering eyes of an elderly, easily befuddled male guardian are not to pass.

Poor hung over Max, after ordering an ice pack, shoos her off to her hotel & goes to see his solicitor. Which gentleman tells him that a)he can't get out of it and b) that each young woman is an heiress in her own right. Yes, all four of them are as rich as Croseus, to borrow as PG Wodehouse phrase. Max then hares off to his Aunt Augusta's house & pleads his case. Could she, would she, pretty please be the Twinning's chaperone & help him see them all safely married and off his hands as soon as possible? Of course she would. She could never let down her favorite nephew.

Like all traditional regencies, the door closes on the serious loving. All of the characters are straight out of casting. Incredible gorgeous, intelligent & wealthy young women. A crotchety elderly aunt, socially well connected and quite a shrewd judge of character to serve as chaperone. The group of male friends, all sexually experienced, wealthy rakes who really don't want to get married. Mix in one London season, lots of parties and a group of sisters who plot together?

After rereading this, I still find it a quick, light and happy read with all of the familiar casting with whom a knowledgeable reader is familiar. One of the differences is that all of the men are quite upfront with each other that they really don't want to get "leg shackled" as they so eloquently phrase it. But they do want as much slap & tickle as they can get away with. One of the guys actually proposes to one sister that she become his mistress! Max and Augusta already keep a sharp eye on the girls, so things will probably only go so far.. but still a rake can always hope, right?

As I dearly love the restrictions of the traditional regency genre & mourn is near demise Four in Hand will stay on my keeper shelves. :)

Happy Reading!

How dark is too dark?

As many of you know, generally speaking I'm primarily a romance reader. A genre well known for it's happily ever after (HEA) requirement. No matter how dark and difficult the journey gets the romance reader slogs on secure in the eventual HEA. Other genres have their own parameters: the mystery must be solved, the evil henchmen will be foiled or apprehended or killed, the quest successfully completed, etc. Lately I've been reading mysteries (police procedurals) written by international authors. I've enjoyed my little jaunt outside of my favorite reading, but my most recent read (review coming soon) has left me wondering about my preferences in tone and characterization.

Generally, police procedurals is a self explanatory type of mystery, one definition found here. A few days ago I finished a PP written by a new to me Irish writer.It was absolutely excellent & I hope to find/buy/borrow his other books via the library. However, the protagonist is a man who is willing to bend events and statements to suit his ideas about who is guilty. I found this protagonist's personality & moral compass very troubling. I don't plan to dissect this book here. I'm trying to think out loud, as it were, about my own parameters regarding protagonists in fiction.

For certain things I have strict preferences about characters & personality type. One example would be vampires in paranormal romance. I will read only those vampires (male or female) who are confident in their "vampireness", who are not looking to redeem their lost souls, who have no more regrets than the rest of us. I will not read any angst laden, guilt ridden, OMG I need my soul back vampires. The recent trend in hard assed, edgy, take no prisoners, I don't need help dammit female protags? I'm tired of these chicks, already. I need to empathize with the lead character, people. I need some kind of hook to hang my hat on.

I'm new to the police procedural subgenre. I've only read & watched a few. Watched more than read. Maigret, Kurt Wallander, Montalbano, etc. I'm thinking that the cookie cutter problem solver in a PP has some of the following: divorce, past/current addiction, tormented childhood, failed love relationships, estranged children, money problems. I expect all those. Sherlock Holmes, one of the greatest detectives in fiction, is an addict and a misogynist.

In my limited exposure, though, the underlying compulsion is a thirst for justice, a desire to solve the puzzle, a tendency to hunt down the truth- whatever. Something like that. A type of single mindedness that often excludes much else from their personal life. Until now I've not come across a PP wherein the protag turns out to be, at best, morally ambivalent regarding how he solves his puzzles at worst, a contributor to the moral malaise modern culture is said to suffer from.

Plainly said, I don't like him. He's morally repugnant. He's actually a bad guy. Deeply & truly bad, not bad with a heart of gold bad. Know what I mean? The book police guy is like Michael Chiklis' character on the tv show The Shield. A good guy in name only. In a charming way, truth be told. If you read the 'definitions' of police procedural and noir, I guess this guy moves this book firmly into the noir end of the spectrum. As I said, the book review comes later.

Uh, I guess the short version is: I dislike reading about morally ambiguous main characters. So, most people would/have/are ask(-ed, -ing), "who cares, woman?! move on already!" Somehow I feel like it's my shortcoming as a reader that I dislike negative characters. That I'm supposed to be ok with all types of character immorality. Has reading romance so long narrowed my view that much? Or ..? Maybe (probably) I'm just a simple minded reader who prefers things more clearly white and grey and less definitively black. There's enough evil and darkness IRL anyway.

I guess what it comes down to is that, in a dark toned book, regardless of genre, I need there to be some small amount of light in a primary character in order to keep me going. For example, in the Black Jewels trilogy, Saetan & his love for Jaenelle kept me going in the pitch darkness that series sometimes led me into. There are other books where I've disliked a character's morals enough that I've dropped it unfinished. What does it say about me that I've finished (barely) Madame Bovary but can't quite get up enough nerve to read Anna Karenina?

I saw this over at Let's Gab. I love these little 'who are you...' quizzes.



Your results:
You are Deanna Troi

Deanna Troi 70% Jean-Luc Picard 60% Worf 55% Beverly Crusher 50% Geordi LaForge 45% Will Riker 45% An Expendable Character (Redshirt) 45% Leonard McCoy (Bones) 35% Spock 30% Chekov 25% Uhura 25% James T. Kirk (Captain) 20% Mr. Sulu 20% Data 20% Mr. Scott 10%

You are a caring and loving individual. You understand people's emotions and you are able to comfort and counsel them.

Click here to take the "Which Star Trek character am I?" quiz...

Drive By Reviews

Lord of the Keep~ Ann Lawrence

An historical romance set in England in 1192, released by Lovespell in 1999. Retains a flavor of 'old school' romance. Young heroine becomes pregnant via a garrison soldier. Her uncle brings her to the lord's court but she refuses to name her suitor & agrees to pay the fine. Time passes. Emma & her babe are again brought to Gilles' attention, this time because they are being pursued through the woods by a pack of dogs. He finds her a position at his keep, but this is complicated by the presence of her former lover- who tries to take advantage of her. Story dragged & I skimmed most of it.

Deryni Tales~ Katherine Kurtz

This is an anthology edited by Katherine Kurtz and published by Ace in 2002. There are eight short stories plus an introduction and a story by Ms. Kurtz. All are set in her world, the Eleven Kingdoms, which is loosely based on medieval Wales. The stories take place all along the timeline of the Deryni books previously published by Ms. Kurtz. Most of these are excellent. I'm already a fan of this author & she has ably edited these fanfics. Recommmended for existing fans only, newcomers will surely be lost.

Garden Photos

Photos from my garden, all taken by Pianist.




Stargazer Lily from Mother's Day bouquet



Ninebark Diablo


Blueberry buds



Ninebark buds



Peach Iris

Dirge for Two Veterans; Walt Whitman

from Leaves of Grass (1900)


The last sunbeam
Lightly falls from the finish’d Sabbath,
On the pavement here—and there beyond, it is looking,
Down a new-made double grave.



Lo! the moon ascending!
Up from the east, the silvery round moon;
Beautiful over the house tops, ghastly phantom moon;
Immense and silent moon.



I see a sad procession,
And I hear the sound of coming full-key’d bugles;
All the channels of the city streets they’re flooding,
As with voices and with tears.



I hear the great drums pounding,
And the small drums steady whirring;
And every blow of the great convulsive drums,
Strikes me through and through.



For the son is brought with the father;
In the foremost ranks of the fierce assault they fell;
Two veterans, son and father, dropt together,
And the double grave awaits them.



Now nearer blow the bugles,
And the drums strike more convulsive;
And the day-light o’er the pavement quite has faded,
And the strong dead-march enwraps me.



In the eastern sky up-buoying,
The sorrowful vast phantom moves illumin’d;
(’Tis some mother’s large, transparent face,
In heaven brighter growing.)



O strong dead-march, you please me!
O moon immense, with your silvery face you soothe me!
O my soldiers twain! O my veterans, passing to burial!
What I have I also give you.



The moon gives you light,
And the bugles and the drums give you music;
And my heart, O my soldiers, my veterans,
My heart gives you love.

Rooftops of Tehran; Mahbod Seraji

I was so excited when I this came in the mail, I can't tell you! The blurb sounded wonderful. How can you resist young love and ideology and political unrest? All mixed in with the ancient Persian culture? Certainly not me. Many many years ago my parents bought me a beautiful lavishly illustrated child's book titled Persian Fairy tales. I read that book cover to cover often & my fascination for Persian culture stayed with me into adulthood. Rooftops of Tehran is a modern coming of age tale set in 1973 & 1974 Tehran, Iran.

Pasha Shahed and his best friend Ahmed are seventeen year old young men who live in the same alley in Tehran Iran in 1973 and 1974. They do many of the things buddies do: swear not to date each other's sister or any other girl the other admires, they plot together how to get the attention of the girls they admire from afar, they play crazy practical jokes on each other, they commiserate about how awful school is and they have lots of sleepovers.

They gossip and laugh and sneak around, just like teenagers everywhere. The objects of their admiration are Faheemeh (Ahmed thinks she's perfect) and Zari Naderi, who is actually engaged to college junior Ramin Sobhi. Pasha can barely admit to himself that he likes her because he admires Ramin as well. And everyone knows Zari and Doctor, Ramin's nickname in the neighborhood, are absolutely perfect for each other. Pasha wouldn't dare interfere with that. Would he?

We watch as the seasons slowly turn in 1973. Ahmed and Faheemeh manage to become a couple despite her near miss arranged marriage. Pasha becomes friends with Doctor and resolves to do the honorable thing and hide his feelings for Zari. Pasha loves and admires his father, but feels pressured to strive for his father's ambitions as opposed to his own. He's only seventeen though, he still has one more year of high school to go. Surely he'll think of a way to subvert his father's wishes by the time he graduates?

However, there are rumblings of upheaval to come. The Shah's regime is oppressive, and actively spies on his populace ruthlessly suppressing and eradicating any dissension- or even attempts at independent, critical thinking. Doctor is a third year political science major at a prominent university. The trial of a notorious political dissident marks the beginnings of drastic changes for all four friends.

Mr. Seraji does a superb job submerging the reader in the daily life and culture of everyday Iranians. Pasha's interior dialogue is quite vivid and his personality captures & holds your attention right away. The novel opens innocently enough but slowly and steadily an ominous feeling creeps over the reader. Tension builds. Hope and dread build simultaneously. I highly recommend this book. I plan to keep a sharp eye out for this author's future titles.

I received a review copy of this book from Authors on the Web

Rooftops of Tehran can be bought HERE.

Summer Contest

Bookreporter.com is running a summer long contest in which readers can enter to win a beach bag of summer reads.

Click here for information.

Sci Fi inside the Beltway

Today's Washington Post has a really neat story on how the federal government is using science fiction authors to help bureaucrats think outside the box. Way to go!! CLICK HERE. You may need to register to read the article, but that's free.

Review coming tomorrow of Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji.

Night Lost, Lynn Viehl

I read this a few weeks ago. Lynn Viehl's Darkyn books are always my reliable, go-to vampire novels. Fast paced & yummy with a side order of edginess. At least they are for me anyway. :) Excellent world building with an overarching plot that continues in each novel. It isn't necessary to read the series in order, though. I like some emo angst driven vampires, but once in awhile I want grown up adults who can handle their business. Ms. Viehl's Darkyns are that. Night Lost is the fourth book in the Darkyn series. Correct series order is listed HERE. The first book in the Darkyns is If Angels Burn, the fifth book is Evermore.

Nicola Jefferson is a tormented young woman, now an art thief, religious art being her specialty. In the course of looking for a particular relic that has personal meaning for her, she has freed several Darkyn. Thus making her an enemy of the Brethren of the Light, the Roman Catholic order sworn to eradicate the Darkyn. Nicola also has a particularly strong dream life, often seeing and talking with someone she calls 'the green man'. In rural France she enters a derelict church and finds Gabriel Seran imprisoned there.

Gabriel is a captured Kyn who has been abandoned by his fellow Kyn. For those readers who like to know, Gabriel's l'attrait (each Kyn has a unique scent called l'attrait) is evergreen. I love that unique Darkyn trait, somehow it makes them..I don't know..more accessible? I'm a gardener and scent gardens are a particular favorite of mine, so maybe I'm different. I don't know. Anyhow, somehow he has managed to hold on to his honor despite being locked in a church cellar and tortured by the Brethren. Gabriel too has dreams of an ethereal young woman, a woman who may be able to free him, if only she can find him.

Meantime the overarching plot continues apace. Alexandra Keller, the physician heroine from the first book, has been kidnapped and locked up in Richard Tremayne's (the Kyn leader) castle in Ireland. Alex's estranged brother John is imprisoned there as well. Michael Cyprian, Alex's lover, several of his men as well as Brethren, Gabriel and Nicola all converge in Ireland. Makes for some serious fireworks.

This book has a more sinister tone to it than the last one. I enjoyed that. Vampires should be edgy, should make you feel unsettled a little. This novel delivers that and heat. A fabulous combination! Winner. Also, probably a keeper.


Image found on Fantastic Fiction.

TBR Challenge: When He Was Wicked; Julia Quinn

When He Was Wicked is Julia Quinn's sixth book in the Bridgerton family series. This is Francesca and Michael's story. Ms. Quinn also wrote a 'second epilogue' for WHWW which readers can order from her site HERE. The first book in the Bridgerton family group is The Duke & I which is a keeper of mine. The seventh book, the one which directly follows this one is It's in His Kiss. Information for both of these is on Ms. Quinn's website, link embedded in the title above. I read this for Avid Reader's monthly TBR Challenge which is due today. This month's theme is unrequited love or friends to lovers, themes that are among my favorites in romance. WHWW is set primarily in 1824 in England and in Scotland.

Michael and John Stirling were raised together in the same household, despite being cousins they were closer than brothers. John was the heir, though, and to the heir go all of the riches. In this case that would be Francesca. John's wife. Cupid's arrows struck Michael deeply and true. Unfortunately, Michael hadn't met Francesca until two days prior to her wedding to John. Somehow Michael manages to hide his feelings from them & the Earl of Kilmartin marries Francesca Bridgerton. Michael is that unique Romanceland creation: the rake with the heart of gold. He seduces only unhappy, lonely married ladies with whom his dalliances are acceptable and sought after and who are least risky in terms of a bad outcome. Among the Ton he is known as the Merry Rake.

Francesca and John were happily married for two years. Somehow the newlyweds incorporated Michael into their lives and slowly Francesca came to see Michael as her closest friend second only to John. One fateful night Francesca and Michael go out for an evening stroll and return to Kilmartin House to find John dead in bed. Stunned and deeply in shock each say things to the other, expect things of the other, that can't be lived up to. Francesca miscarries their baby. Michael, now Earl of Kilmartin upon John's death, flees for India, not knowing how to cope with all of the losses and changes.

Four years later, Francesca has finally come out of mourning and come down to London for a season. Perhaps it's time to hunt for another husband. She's twenty six now and her biological clock is ticking. Francesca wants a baby and a husband and she knows that she's unlikely to find another man with whom she'll have a deep bond with. Unknown to her, Michael too has returned to face taking up the reins of his title. As soon as he sees her Michael knows he's still deeply in love with Francesca. But how can he cope with feeling guilty about inheriting John's title and loving and desiring Francesca too?

Michael wars with his feelings as Francesca tries to fit Michael back into the box she'd had him in while John was still alive. After four years, though, Michael is definitely not the same man. Francesca can't seem to let go of her preconceived notions about who Michael is & what's best for him. Michael, believe it or not, is nudged into action by Francesca's brother Colin. Will either of them be able to make peace with their conscience and the memory of John so they can embrace happiness again? Michael, for whatever reason, won't tell Francesca how he feels until it's almost too late. Will she hear him?

Later in the book Francesca struggles with feelings of disloyalty to John and struggles with society's expected sexual roles & sexuality of wives. She has some serious issues to struggle with, not least of which is that she's more than willing to enjoy Michael's sexual favors but doesn't want to marry him, and yet she denies (for a while anyway) that she's using him. The other problem is her possible fertility problem. Earlier in the book, I most appreciated and enjoyed Francesca talking to her mother about her mother's widowhood & what Francesca might be looking forward to. Francesca was willing to go after what she wanted, and she was confident enough to discuss it with her mother before setting out what to obtain it.

I've not read any of the Bridgerton books for several years, Penelope and Colin's book was the last one I read. This book felt fresh and new for me since I didn't remember any of the characters other than Violet (Francesca's mother). I really liked Ms. Quinn's attention to the intricacies of the emotional issues involved between two people who loved the same person, now dead. I liked her attention to Francesca's emotional and sexual conflicts. It was an excellent read & I plan to keep it.

Access Romance Post Up

Drop on by & read all about the series we romance lovers are addicted to.

Updates Again

Ok, so I'm not dead yet. I know I've been slacking re: posting. No I didn't go on vacation (I wish!). The excitement is over now. Thank the Lord. We survived. I can breathe. Remember my name. Remember that I've 4 books backed up to read this month. That I still have three or four to review from last month. Not that I'm working on any of that right now, mind you.


No this isn't his graduation. Photo credits at end of post.

Firstly. Hubby graduated from his program. The ceremony was long despite the obvious organizational efficiency and ruthless speed the ceremony was conducted with. I noticed only 5 other male graduates in this field. Almost equally divided by race. A few ladies who wore headscarves and one wore a niquab, which made me wonder how comfortable her patients would be. *shrug* We believe in freedom of religion & expression after all. Anyhow, we went out for Chinese for an early dinner. Our favorite place to celebrate. Unfortunately they're struggling to make ends meet. We've been going there for twelve years & they've slowly scaled back a little bit here and a little bit there. I hope they make it, there's no where else close that we can have a sit down formal Chinese meal of such high quality. :(





After that it was my birthday on Friday. We took College Student out to brunch with us. Then hubby and I drove out to the Virginia arboretum near Winchester and took a long walk around some of the grounds. It's absolutely gorgeous. Click here for a virtual tour. Well worth the trip, if you're vacationing here or you're a local who likes gardening & misses the trees that used to be here before Suburbia Invaded. It's even free. Not even a charge for parking, if you can believe it. :) Blandy Farm is a lovely and peaceful place. No one else appeared to be there. Just us and the birds and the squirrels. Beautiful specimen trees and several lovely gardens. Bird condos & ponds & bridle trails. It had been far too long since we meandered around together, went on an adult day trip. No hurry, nowhere else to be, no other pressing commitments. I love the children, but raising them really drains a relationship even when the couple strives to maintain closeness and a deep connection between each other.

Saturday- Drove back down to tiny little town to drop College Student off at my parents so he can start work on Monday. He's not staying home this summer. Glad he's taking a step up, but I miss him. Took my MIL & SIL out to lunch for birthday & Mother's Day. Got updates on the uncle & other family members. Drove back home.



Sunday- Had two handbell performances at church this morning. It was really fun, although I never learned two bars of one piece despite my neighbor whispering the count in my ear! It was embarassing. I like bells though. Missed CS. He used to be in the handbell choir with us. Stood right across from me & made faces at me when he knew I was nervous. I don't read music so I'm nervous alot.


Graduation photo found on Webshots. Images of Blandy Experimental Farm found on state arboretum of Virginia Blandy Experimantal Farm Handbell image found on Bethlehem United Church of Christ.

Patrick Rothfuss News

According to Fantasy Book News & Reviews Patrick Rothfuss, author of The Name of the Wind has just sent a ginormous copy of his first draft of the second novel to his editor. Good news for those of you waiting for the next book.




Author image found on Waterstones. The Name of the Wind cover image found on B & N. Cover on new book found on Suduvu.

Catching Up

This isn't me, but I think this is what it has been like around here these past few days: fun & exciting but a little overwhelming! Image found on Webshots.com

So it has been busy around here. And inspiration for blogging evaporated with all of the excitement.

Thursday~ Pretty typical day, but it's the busiest day of the week. Write post & try to catch up on feed reader. Run out of time to write another post for Friday. Drive hubby to work. Pick kids up from school. Drive to piano lesson. Potluck at church. Handbell choir. Hubby off early, have to pick him up earlier than expected. Drive home. Help daughter prioritize homework. Put kids to bed. Collapse.

Friday~ Make sure kids remember we won't be home when they return from school. No "accidentally" missing the bus- no one will be home to rescue them. Drive out to C'ville for entrance interview with prominent state school for potential admission next January. Nerves were strung taught for that one let me tell you. Hubby sprung that one on me Wednesday night. Good thing he surprised me with it, or else I would've cancelled it out of sheer nerves. Drive from C'ville to Lovely Sister's house outside of Richmond to pick up College Student. Drive from Lovely Sister's to MCV downtown to visit hubby's uncle, who is in acute oncology. You'd never know that from the cheerful atmosphere in his room, which resembles nothing more than an indoor picnic/family reunion. No good news on that front, I'm afraid. Drive back home. Enthusiastic welcome for College Student. Collapse again.

Saturday~ Nada. Stayed home & relaxed. Visited with College Student.

Sunday~ B'fast in bed: french toast, bacon, strawberries, homefries, coffee & juice. Newspaper. Peace & quiet. Wonderful. Called my mom. Hubby leaves for work. I decide to go clothes shopping. First time in ages & ages I've gone clothes shopping with the luxury of time to myself. No one with other pressing needs, impatient to leave or whining about how "I need $$ for ______ mom." The store was having a BOGO sale & I managed to do that rare thing: find things that were appealing, flattering and on sale! Bought some cards for hubby's graduation on Tuesday & went home. Chatted with College Student & waited for hubby to return from work.

Monday~ Younger kids go to school after Hubby pats them on the head & makes sure they have lunch money & eat b'fast. He returns to bed while everyone else sleeps in. Drive hubby to work. Buy him his graduation gift (can't tell you yet, he sometimes reads the blog). Take Anime Queen to Kinko's to print out copies of her prom pics & to have several music books spiral bound so Pianist can practice with them. Trot next door to buy a newer copy of the MLA handbook so AQ can write a major paper. Put kids to bed. Dust living room. Load dishwasher & run.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll find a few moments to write up another book review. Or read a book. Then again, The Hubby graduates tomorrow night & he might need to be kept busy so his nerves don't get the best of him before the ceremony. I'll write it all up Wednesday & post it.

The Immortal Hunter; Lynsay Sands

This is book eleven in the Argeneau family series as well as a book in Ms. Sands' Rogue Hunters series. Click title above to go to Ms. Sands' page for this book. This is a contemporary set paranormal suspense. TBH, I've not read one of Ms. Sands'books in quite some time. The last title of hers I read is Tall Dark & Hungry (book four), review here. I did not purchase this one myself, it was a gift from my Hubby who knows that I like vamps. I do like vamps but generally I've not really connected deeply with Ms.Sands' characters & thus she fell by the wayside. Ms. Sands other new title so far this year is titled Devil of the Highlands & she has book twelve in the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter series coming out in September of this year.

This book made me wonder if the 'Cynster disease' has struck with Ms. Sands. For those of you unfamiliar with this, Stephanie Laurens started an historical book series with a large family named the Cynsters. Subsequently she's moved out to cousins & family friends etc. all tied in with the original Cynsters in some vague and nebulous way. Now, I'm all for an author following a tried and true reader loved path: connected series. Authors are in the market to make money & sell books after all. I simply wasn't aware that Ms. Sands had done so.

This book follows a familiar path: innocent victim(s) is/are terrorized by a group of baddies, victim rescued by a mysterious pair of men who claim to be good guys intent on helping her, but can she really trust them? The victim in this case is Dr. Danielle McGill, who along with her sister was kidnapped out of a parking lot. The supposed good guy is Decker Argeneau, a kind of vampire cop who chases down killer vampires. In Ms. Sands' world vampires don't need to feed off of live humans because hello?? blood banks. I really appreciate that Ms. Sands' vampires are forward looking & unafraid of technology.

Much of Ms.Sands' world I appreciate: the blood banks, the un-self-conscious way the vamps feed, the fact that the love interest cannot be forced to choose immortality, the strong sense of duty and responsibility to the community. There were elements in this story I didn't like: the totally unrealistic hot & heavy petting in the back of the van while another vamp drove up front at breakneck speed chasing the baddies; sex in the changing room at the mall; how willing Decker Argeneau was to lie to Danielle while justifying what he said both to her and to his boss (also his cousin) when questioned.

A mixed bag for me, but I think there's alot to recommend Ms. Sands' work for other romance lovers.

Image found on Fantastic Fiction

Major Milestones

Kudos to my Hubby- he passed his last exam Monday morning with a 95!! It was his last exam & was crucial to obtaining his degree!! I'm so excited & proud of him. It has been a long long road to get here & has required sacrifices from us all. Graduation is next week.

On another front- Anime Queen's prom is this weekend. College Student is coming up to be her escort. She's thrilled. She has missed him so much these last two years. Her dress is lavender with an empire waist, slim fitting. A single row of rhinestones underneath her bosom. Sheer shirred fabric (same color) fastens behind her neck. It's a beautiful gown, perfect for her petite & delicate looking self. If she allows I'll post a pic of her in her gown.

A Rake's Redemption; Donna Simpson

I found this at my local UBS in their dwindling traditional regency section. I love TRs & I really wish they weren't passe. It's too late for that I suppose, but I feed my fix every once in a while by hunting for some "new to me" titles at my favorite UBS. Ms. Simpson currently publishes under the name Donna Lea Simpson. I thought I had some of her longer work in my TBR, but apparently I don't. Neither have I read or kept anything of hers, so she's a new to me author. Her most recent book, released in April of this year titled Lady Anne and the Howl in the Dark is set in Georgian England.

As the title implies, ARR is all about that old regency maxim 'reformed rakes make the best husbands'. LOL :) ARR is also one of my personal favorites: wounded protagonist must be nursed to health by member of opposite sex. For me these romances often work in a similar fashion to cabin romances: the protagonists are forced into close & repeated contact by the circumstances of the illness/injury etc. So the reader can watch as their feelings grow and change as each person must deal with the other, even when they'd rather not.

Phaedra Gillian is an older, spinster daughter living in quiet isolation with her elderly father, a retired clergyman. One morning Phaedra, clad only in her wrapper & nightie, discovers (alerted by her maid) Lawrence Jamison, Earl of Hardcastle, beaten near unto death in the road not far from the Gillians' cottage. As 'Mr. Lawrence' slowly recovers, nosy neighbors reveal that the handsome man stuck abed upstairs is actually Hard Hearted Hardcastle himself! In the flesh. Devious seducer that he is. You know, while he's stuck in bed hoping he doesn't have kidney damage. LOL :)

As Hardcastle recovers, he and Phaedra's father play chess and have philosophical conversations in the evenings. The old clergyman spoon feeds Hardcastle newfangled thoughts about the role of love and women and fatherhood and what it really means to be an adult on your own terms. This is what I really really appreciated about this book- Hardcastle changes on his own with a push or two from Rev. Gillian. Yes, he lusts after Phaedra, but primarily the accident causes Hardcastle to be reflective in a place where a mature man can give him guidance.

An excellent little read, well worth your time if you order one or find it in a UBS near you.

Hope's Folly; Linnea Sinclair

This is the first title I've read by Ms. Sinclair & I think I'm in love! LOL :) Just kidding. I think. IMO science fiction romance is a difficult balance. As a reader I find that some SFRs are heavy one way or the other but not quite both. I suppose that's the trouble with hybrid genres- it must take a book or two to balance the two? Then again, from what little I know this could also be categorized as space opera. Anyhow, Ms. Sinclair has certainly gained a new fan. Hope's Folly is her March 2009 release from Bantam. It's the third in her Dock Five series. The first one being Gabriel's Ghost. Link to Ms. Sinclair's books page is in the title above.

In Hope's Folly we have your basic edge of your seat, life and death space war mixed in with liberal helpings of a May-December romance. You're familiar with the drill: giant galactic empire is faced with a small band of fierce rebels who struggle against long odds. Sprinkle liberally with treachery and mutiny and faceless bureaucracy and good old fashioned lust & you have a fabulous recipe for yummy reading.

Admiral Philip Guthrie is defecting to the rebels. He's in his late forties & has lingering medical issues, but he's determined to give the rebels the benefit of his years of spacefaring experience. Rya Bennton is in her late twenties & is the general equivalent of NIS (Naval Investigative Services- Navy security, more than police but not FBI either & way more than the tv show, btw). They last met when Rya was a girl. She has always loved Philip in a hero worshiping type of way, but now that they've met she falls in love with the man she sees, as opposed to the fairy tale she'd built in her head. Philip is now divorced & has trouble allowing himself to act on his feelings for Rya because they're in the middle of running for their lives and she's his mentor's daughter, although he's definitely realized that Rya's not a little girl any longer.

I inadvertently started the Dock Five series with this title. I didn't realize it at the time, but I didn't feel lost or overwhelmed- so you can dive right in with this one if you're so inclined. If you're anything like me, you'll rush out & buy a few more of Ms. Sinclair's titles. You'll be glad you did.

April Synopsis

Below are listed the titles I've read this month, in no particular order. Titles that have been reviewed are hyperlinked to the review. Those reviews that have yet to come are so listed. It has been an excellent reading month!


Edited 1 June 2009~ All titles are now reviewed & hyperlinked>



1.Lord of the Keep; Ann Lawrence

2. Dark Need; Lynn Viehl

3. Hope's Folly; Linnea Sinclair

4. A Rake's Redemption; Donna Simpson

5. Immortal Hunter; Lynsay Sands

6. Deryni Tales; ed. by Katherine Kurtz

7. Certain Jeopardy; Struecker & Gansky

8. Melusine~ Sarah Monette

9. Night Lost; Lynn Viehl

10. The War of the Flowers~ Tad Williams