Historicals Dead? Mushrooms & swamp foot

I'm lazy today. For a great conversation about the reasons behind the demise of interesting historically accurate romances, visit Tara. She has links to a fantastic blog post. Apparently the discussion originally started on the AAR ATBF & continues here at the ATBF message board.

Not that anyone who comes here would be surprised to hear me say, but I'm finding it increasingly hard to find quality historical romances. I'm turning more & more to other genres & returning to straight history. I've had serious struggles with romance for the last two years & I don't see the situation improving much. Most of my TBR came from the UBS as most of the books are older novels many of which are long out of print.

Family Interlude

We went for a longish (4 miles) trail hike yesterday in the damp. There are mushrooms galore in unique shapes & colors. This from a woman who loves the oddly shaped Japanese mushrooms, but somehow thought most 'American' mushrooms all were shaped like the button mushrooms in all of the markets. We even saw one that is pale blue with narrow concentric rings that resemble the rings seen on hand thrown pottery. Truly- it was blue. Supposedly a rare shade in plants. Then again, it was rainy & gloomy in that patch of woods.

We also found a puddle full of frog eggs, a rainbow shaped beaver dam, a large dark hole we decided had to be for Alice in Wonderland.What else happened? Oh yes, I slipped on a moss covered rock in the middle of the creek & walked three+ miles with swamp foot. Slush, thump, slush, thump. Repeat. Son #2 made me promise we'd return next week to check on the froggies to be (& play in the creek).

Thursday 13 #17- Tour de France

Warning: if you aren't a pro cycling fan you might as well skip this post. 13 thoughts about this year's Tour de France. As usual- click link above to see more participants & leave a link in the comments & I'll link to you here.

1. This year is much more interesting without Lance. Sacreligious of me to say so, I'm sure.

2. The Spanish doping scandal opened things up even more, although I miss watching Jan Ullrich & Ivan Basso.

3. Floyd Landis's dead hip joint was really scary looking & if I was his wife I'd be praying really hard that he comes home in one piece.

4. T Mobile appears to have much more depth than almost any other team that lost its GC leader in the Spanish doping scandal.

5. Who will be anointed new leader of Discovery? Johan Bruyneel is pretty darned cute too, ladies.

6. The German guy who dresses up as the devil & waves a trident is back in the mountains this year. I just saw him this morning- dressed in red & black.

7. I really want to buy an encyclopedia of world flags. I hate not knowing where all of those flags are from. BTW- the one rider from South Africa, Robert Hunter, has fans following the TDF route this year. Very cool. The South African flag is absolutely gorgeous.

8. Those Basque fans are pretty ardent aren't they?! Write all over the roads. Hang flags everywhere. Push their favorite riders up the mountains even though it's 'against the rules.'

9. Did you see the guy running down the center of the road with his shorts around his knees? Full moon rising, people. On live tv no less. Yesterday's coverage I think.

10. One of these days I'll be one of the cheering hoards clinging to the side of some astonomical mountain in France waving team flags & screaming myself silly.

11. I love the scenery. The tours of France & Italy (the Giro d'Italia) offer eye popping views of each country, especially for those of us who are unlikely to ever actually travel there.

12. Have you seen the newest diet books? The ones claiming French women don't get fat & that Mediterranean women are skinny too? Well, if you watch the crowds along the roads Europeans seem to come in all shapes & sizes just like Americans.

13. Only 10 more days to go. * WAAAAAAHHHHH*
Tour de France, Giro d'Italia,Dieting, Professional cycling, Thursday 13, Thursday Thirteen

Evil Mom Strikes Again

Our children are sure to grow up & become utter slobs. I'll get telephone calls from concerned psychiatrists, "Mrs. Bookwormom, do you understand just how traumatized your ______ was by being forced to help ____________ as a child?! (Fill in the blank: dust, vaccuum, mop, load dishes, cook dinner, scrub bathrooms, etc.) As a responsible parent you should've been the one doing all the housework or else hired a maid. Your _____ will never be a well adjusted, productive member of society because of your laziness!"

Or else the psychiatrist will say, "Mrs.Bookwormom, do you understand just how traumatized your _________ was by being deprived of______________. (Fill in the blank: a McMansion, an XBox 360 & every game they make, ipod nano, tv & dvr & phone in their room, a chauffeur [mom] driven new SUV every year). Your child never fit in during his formative years & now his/her workaholism/type A/overdriven personality/materialism is all your fault!"
Humor, Family Life

Nutrition & archiving

Still reading the Dr. Weil book, getting a bit bogged down by the extensive nutirional info. There are two possible reasons: a) I tend to read this later in the evening when I'm less aware- this isn't an issue with genre stuff, but is likely an error with non fiction & b) I've studied nutrition quite a bit on my own already much of this is not new info. I plan to continue reading it, however, some skimming will surely happen.

Working on starting an archive of books I've read & discussed. Computer time is limited lately due to general busyiness. It may take me awhile. Any suggestions or helpful insight welcome.

OMG- Teenage Drivers

HELP!! :O Son #1 has his driver's permit. I'm so not old enough to have a kid who can drive himself around. LOL ;) To be truthful, he's a year & a half (maybe even two years) over the minimum age but still..

We've driven twice around the local park where we walk because there's no traffic, it's hilly & curvy so he can practice maintaining speed & position in his lane. Today I let him drive us home and then to IKEA after I'd mentally planned a route that reduced merges & left turns. Obviously the interstate was totally out. I'm proud to say he did amazingly well.

I did too to be honest. My mother was terrible to drive with- she's a huge control freak & did very little to make me feel confident in my driving ability. I vowed that the day he got his permit & wanted/needed to drive that I would be very calm, collected & helpful. Relaxed posture, tone of voice & clear instructions. So far I've succeeded. I promised him he'd drive at least a little bit every day, slowly working up to such funatastic things as: highway speeds, on ramp merging, rush hour traffic, etc.

Virginia has many new rules regarding new drivers, which, to be honest, I'm grateful for. Over the last two years there have been several fatal accidents, all involving teens. Adult drivers are agressive enough- add inexperience & youth & it's a dangerous mix. Husband&I plan to take it very very slowly for his safety & our peace of mind.

Hiking Weekend

Spent the weekend immersed in family events- namely trail hiking. Husband, Daughter & I hiked a relatively flat but heavily overgrown local trail in the local national park Saturday afternoon.

Today all of us did another circular hike out in the northern end of the Blue Ridge Mts. Total of nearly five miles. The first two of which were straight up a ridge to the Appalachian Trail. Mercifully the trip back down (to the car- YAY!!) meandered along through spectacular meadows full of wildflowers, butterflies & bees. Watch out for the cow patties though.

Started reading Dr. Andrew Weil's Eating Well for Optimum Health last night. I'm not very far into it, but so far he makes quite a lot of sense. The quality of what you eat effects your health- mental & physical. Eat better quality (& quantity too most likely) & you'll feel better about yourself & be healthier.

1st Anniv. London

Via Random Reality Inspector Sands of Casino Avenue discusses the latest terrorist video clip & the first anniversary of the London bombings. Nee Naw also has comments.

I've nothing to say really, except that I remember & honor your loss & grief, that I'm sure you'll stand strong & steadfast, that there are those of us across the pond & all around the world who spent two minutes in silence today.


by eka420


by erinineurope2005


by srseales

Thursday 13 #16- Exercise

Favorite exercise routines here at Bookwormom Central:

1. Rollerblading along the Potomac

2. Trail hikes in our local national park

3. Interval walk/jog repeats

4. Hill-work in our neighborhood

5. Bike riding

6. DDR in the livingroom. I'm self conscious though & will only do this if I'm alone.

7. Plain walking (getting a little vanilla)

8. Mall walking~ although it's bad for the budget

9. Jumping up & down & screaming at the tv during world cup games- especially while watching Univision commentary

10. Ditto for Tour de France dailies

11. Hunting for lost teenagers (mine) in the local park. Turns out they're totally unable to follow simple verbal instructions. "Go to the end of the trail & turn left. Take the left fork at the next junction. It's less than a mile. The car is in the lot at the end of the 2nd trail. Here's a map in case you forget." Lest you worry, they're home again & eating plenty.

12. Nearly getting sideswiped on the interstate & hyperventialting. Side effect- your children learn lots of new vocabulary words.

13. Thinking up Thursday 13 posts.

Click link above to see more Thursday 13 participants. Leave a link in the comments & I'll link to you.

June Summary & YTD Stats

June Summary:

I only managed six titles this month & that only because of the TBR Challenge over at Romantic Times (on the Reader's Roundtable message board). All were romances, no mysteries or fantasy/sci fi this month.

1.My Heart Stood Still by Lynn Kurland- Time travel paranormal

2.The Wedding Clause by Debbie Raleigh- Traditional Regency

3.A Scandalous Marriage by Debbie Raleigh- Traditional Regency

4.Lord Nightengale's Triumph by Judith Lansdowne- Traditional Regency

5.The Captain's Castaway by Christine Scheel- Traditional Regency

6.Road to the Isle by Megan Davidson- Historical romance


YTD Stats

Total Books Read- 67
Mysteries- 1
Horror- 2
Fantasies- 8
Thrillers- 2
Mythology based romances- 1
Fantasy romances- 2
Traditional Regencies- 21
Historical Romances (Incl. long format Regencies)- 10
Paranormal Romances- 15
DNF- 5

Not very many, I know. Too, I accept that I'm shallow & lack the attention span to read classics or literary fiction. Even so, I only read 102 books in 2005 & I'm well on track to out pace myself this year. Thanks for the great idea, Tara!

Happy Fourth of July!

by jjpetersen2


by jjpetersen2

Exhausted

I have read Potent Pleasures previously- I think when it was new. I enjoyed the portion I reread (about 120 pages), but I've five others by her in my TBR so I won't continue reading it. AG- I really enjoyed the 'reveal' regarding the Cyprian's Ball. I think the best part was at the end though- the birthday present in the postscript was the best part. I love a hero who grovels, LOL.

Husband & I went on a loong walk Sunday afternoon- nearly 8 miles. I was so tired. I can't tell you. The last bit was uphill- I made him sing me dirty jodies from the bad old days when he was in the infantry. You know the kind- they'll put you in your grave, some of them. Full of rape, pillage & mayhem. Totally unPC. I love 'em though.

Happy Canada Day!

Hungry? Dinner is orange black beans out of the crock pot with cornbread, salsa, sour cream & cheese. No dessert tonight. Two loads of laundry done & folded. What else have I done? Dusted the livingroom. I'm ready to sit back & surf & watch tv.

Can you believe how many cyclists got caught in the doping scandal? The Tour de France will be even more wide open than anticipated. How about England's loss to Portugal? Or France beating Brazil? Or Scotsman Andy Murray beating Andy Roddick?

As far as cycling goes, Thor Hushovd, the Norwegian champion is my favorite. This afternoon he won the prologue. He's a sprinter though, so he likely won't win the overall. Ivan Basso was my other favorite, but he's out now due to being implicated in the doping scandal.

Anyhow- enough drooling for one day. Must go supervise Husband setting up my new XM SkyFi radio which arrived last night.

Tour de France, World Cup 2006, Wimbledon, Sattelite Radio

Failed again

Miserable failure- I totally forgot about Angie's challenge until just now when I checked Tara's blog. Oh well. Too late now. Tomorrow's July.

Book wise I'm reading Eloisa James' Potent Pleasures. I think I've read something with a nearly identical plot only I can't remember who wrote it or what it was. I'm continuing on with it though. It's quite good.

Off to bed with me now. I can't decide if I ought to take an epsom salt bath first. Hamstrings & shins are a touch sore after a hard workout today.

Thursday 13 #15- TBR Authors

13 TBR authors listed in alphabetical order with the first two titles I have by them. Click the link above to see more participants, leave a link in the comments & I'll link to you here.

1.Rexanne Becnel- Maiden Bride & Heartbreaker

2.Jo Beverley- Dangerous Joy & The Shattered Rose

3. Sara Blayne- Theodora & Marrying the Marquis

4.Connie Brockway- My Pleasure & My Seduciton

5.Marsha Canham- My Forever Love & Pale Moon Rider

6.Loretta Chase- Lord of Scoundrels & Lion's Daughter

7.Heather Cullman- Bewitched & Stronger than Magic

8.Claire Delacroix- The Snow White Bride & Temptress

9.Christina Dodd- Well Favored Gentleman & Once A Knight

10.Juliana Garnett- The Knight & The Scotsman

11.Anne Gracie- Perfect Waltz & Perfect Rake

12.Roberta Gellis- Enchanted Fire & Shimmering Splendor

13.Patricia Grasso- To Catch A Countess & To Love A Princess
Books, Romance Novels

Latest books read

The Captain's Castaway

This is a traditional Regency written by Christine Scheel & pubbed by Signet in 2005. Features an American girl found adrift in a lifeboat with only an old sailor for company. Not a sign of the boat they were on. Plucked out of the sea by a British frigate captain, he brings her to Portsmouth where she is turned over to relatives. Ordered by the Admiralty to keep an eye on her due to mysterious circumstances beyond her control, Captain Sir Sidney keeps tabs on Julianna & assists her in hunting for her missing father.

I really struggled with this one as I feel there were too many irons in the fire that detracted from what ought to have been the main focus. Any one of the secondary stories would've been enough for its own book- all crammed into one little traditional Regency was too much. In addition Julianna bordered on TSTL towards the end. The ending scene was very touching though & really saved the book IMO.

Road to the Isle

Written by Megan Davidson in 1995 & pubbed by Pinnacle (Kensington). She seems to have one other book out & that's it. Too bad, really. I liked this one quite a lot. A note for those to whom it matters, Road to the Isle is sweet in terms of sexuality & has gritty, somewhat violent scenes involving one or both of the protagonists. Disclaimer: I know nothing of Scottish history & therefore cannot vouch for accuracy in this story. Also, there is some dialect written out, but I managed to ignore it ( a rare feat I must say).

Widow Abigail Fields has lost her daughter & her wastrel husband & has been forced into a Glasgow brothel in order to survive. She dearly loved her husband despite his many faults, which included gambling every penny they had plus all of their furnishings, most of their personal items & his lack of enthusiasm in the bedroom. She is desperate to find their daughter Lydia.

Calum MacDonald, a Jacobite on the run, needs to escape Glasgow in one piece in order to return to his family in a tiny hamlet in the highlands. Abby bribes him into helping her escape & guiding/dragging her northward toward the Shetland Isles where she believes Lydia to be held. From there on out, this is a road/adventure romance. Abby & Calum each have crosses to bear & issues to overcome. None of which are glossed over.

Overall, this is the story of two souls, bereft & grieving, determined to survive & start anew despite the horrendous war around them. They certainly earned their HEA. I did feel the villain was over the top & that distracted me a bit, but all in all Road to the Isle is excellent.
Romance Review

Fluff Wins!

As a native New Englander I was very relieved to learn that the sentimental favorite Fluffernutter sandwich has been saved from disgrace, along with johnny cakes, baked beans & Boston cream pie. Click link to read article. Fluff sandwiches are a sentimental standby here at Bookwormom Central. Fluff can always be found in my pantry. I haven't quite gotten to the point where I keep the Marshmallow Fluff Cookbook around, but Son #2 is campaigning hard.

The second favorite sandwich here is Nutella & Fluff for which I've not figured out a good nickname. Try this site for more sandwiches from way back when. Even they don't list a Nutella & Fluff option, though.
Family Favorites, Kid Friendly Food

Rain rain go away

It has rained pretty much steadily since Sunday night with only a few hours break once in a while. Husband wasn't able to get to work Monday & returned home for a few hours to wait for both the rain & the traffic to subside. So far there hasn't been much flooding on our local roads other than the ones that flood anyway.

The major highways & areas that border tributaries & streams have suffered quite lot though. Basements & below ground parking decks are full of water & storm debris. Mini landslides. Several Smithsonian buildings, the IRS (no sympathy for them!), the Zoo all closed due to the water. Kinda a bummer- the American History museum has a neat display of antique cars & related stuff plus a Muppet exhibit we planned to see Wednesday. We'll have to try again next week, I supppose. The museum closes in September for a two year renovation & I want to go before then.

The humidity has been through the roof. When the kids & I walk together I can see the steam rise out of our clothes- kinda cool, actually. Nice to see all of my stored calories being converted into something more useful than excess mass. LOL

Family Fitness, Virginia Flooding

Diversity

Our neighbors invited us over for a picnic/cookout this past weekend. It turned out to be more interesting than I bargained for. We were an eye opening little group- black, white, Latino & Asian. American, Pakistani, Salvadorean. Babies, teens & adults. Blessing was said in two different traditions in three languages. It was amazing!

The food was pretty good too. Curried goat, hamburgers, hotdogs, beef ribs (no pork). The curry was excellent, BTW. Spicy & delicious. Three types of salad. A great time was had by all. We listened to everything from old school R&B to the Pussycat Dolls. Suddenly, it began to absolutely POUR- then all hell broke loose. It was pretty funny, actually. Running back & forth into the houses trying to bring everything inside. Mud & water & screaming laughing kids everywhere. Dogs trying to steal the meat off the tables. Someone took my catsup & mustard home, but other than that it was fun.

I just barely managed to get my walk in this afternoon between thunderstorms. I'd piled all the kids & our water & towels & ipods & scooters (you know how it is with kids) into the car & started to drive over to the park where we walk the trails together. No dice. Poured buckets. Took the boys back home & dropped them off & went grocery shoppping with Daughter. Bright sunshine & tropical humidity the whole time we were in the store. Stayed that way long enough to shop, drive home, unload the groceries & eat lunch.

Pile everyone back into the car & drive into the park. It rains again. This time with thunder. We managed about half of our usual distance on the paved road. Then I remembered the wide, flat handicapped accesible trail that's under a heavy canopy of trees. It's set up in a loop down into a little gully. Damp & drippy but reasonably dry compared to the open road. I managed to get the remainder of our workout in before the scary weather settled in.
Family Fitness, Diversity

New Books

I went to Borders last night. After much contemplation I brought home four new books.

A Gentleman by Any Other Name by Kasey Michaels features two of my favorite themes, one of which is governesses. Kasey Michaels is a new to me author.

Some Like it Hot by Deborah Raleigh. I've read quite a few of her traditional Regencies & enjoyed them & discovered I missed the 'regular' Regencies she wrote. However, Borders only had this one.

Maidensong, the debut work by Diana Groe. I've picked it up & put it back twice. I read a few pages & Maidensong reminds me of the sagas from loong ago. Vikings & a Strong Heroine. Travel. Need I Say more?!

Duchess of Fifth Avenue by Ruth Ryan Langan. How I've missed Ms. Langan I don't know. DOFA is her 85th book. Lots of people out there enjoy her books, hopefully I'll be one of them. Orphan Irishwoman wants to gain custody of her best friend's son upon the death of the friend. Problem- she needs to hoodwink the court into giving him to her. For that she needs help.

3 Trad. Regencies

Two by Debbie Raliegh- The Wedding Clause & A Scandalous Marriage. One by Judith Lansdowne, Lord Nightengale's Triumph.

The Wedding Clause

Is Molly Conwell a money grubbing mushroom with no morals? Or is she a lovely young woman who eased Anthony Elkington's, Viscount Woodhart, aunt's last months? Why did the lady write her will in this way? Could they get around it somehow? Is Hart really as cold & unfeeling as his reputation? Can they find common ground?

This one is the weakest of the three, IMO. Woodhart spends much of the book castigating Molly only slowly reforming his opinion of her. Over the course of several weeks he switches from being infuriated by her to being infatuated with her. This after Molly spends nearly a year in his aunt's employ & his opinion is supposedly firm. This is not to say that Molly is innocent & naive. She does have ulterior motives & blithely ignores the fact that Woodhart could be justified in his opinions of her character.

In the end, each manages to change enough & confess enough of their wrongdoings that the other can fall in love.

A Scandalous Marriage

The last in the Vicar Humbley trio. The Vicar must help Victoria & Claredon overcome the difficult circumstances surrounding their marriage. Claredon picks the lock on the door of Victoria's room at an inn & joins her in bed. Why? Victoria has registered under a fake name- that of a woman who has relentlessly pursued him for the last year. Victoria is ruined & they must marry. She resents him for forcing her hand, but refuses to see her culpability in the situation.

Vicar Humbly manages to bring them both around in the end. Lovely finish to a good series.

Lord Nightengale's Triumph

The third installment in a four book series starring a talking, singing macaw who also happens to be a matchmaker. Very cute. A rector's daughter, Mary Butterberry, is determined to marry a man, Peter Winthrop, her family disapproves of, who is convinced he killed someone in a fit of grief.
Romance Review, Books

Thursday 13 #14- Recent Events

It's late & I'm tired & stressed & this is all I can think of. I skipped the 13 last week & didn't want to again. Click link above for more participants. Leave a link ini the comments & I'll link to you here. So here goes.

1. Visited the relatives last weekend.

2. Father's Day cookout complete with 4 kinds of pie- very bad for the waistline.

3. Nephew #2 was baptised in the beautiful tiny rural church where Husband & I were married oh so long ago.

4. Discovered my dad doesn't have a brain tumor (YAY!) but is scheduled for back surgery next month (BOO!).

5. My BIL was in the ER all day yesterday. Not this problem or that one, but unsure what the problem actually might be.

6. Watched my mother knit en francais & wished I could knit en anglais. That is to say- my mother found some beautiful double sided baby patterns in a French knitting magazine & is knitting a piece or two for my brother's soon to be born child.

7. Had the XM radio stolen out of my car today

8. Spent an ungodly amount of $$ at the grocery store- summer is always uber stressful on the food budget because *surprise, surprise* the kids are home all the time! I know you're shocked.

9. Son #1 was surfing Monday when the 'puter shut down all on its own. *shock & awe & terror all 'round* Turns out it's the power strip. Thank goodness

10. Somehow keep forgetting to buy new power strip until this afternoon. Of course, as you can see, there's nothing else happening around here lately to distract me.

11. Managed to convince Daughter to bake cupcakes a couple of nights ago. Proceed to eat three hot out of the oven. Then remembered I pigged out Sunday too & I'm technically trying to 'eat healthier!' HAHAHAHA

12. Walked every day since Sunday, minimum 3 miles a day. One day of walk/jog intervals. One thing that has gone well all week.

13. Read 3 traditional Regencies this week- YAY!
Thursday 13, Thursday Thirteen

Decorating & Daughters

Blinking cursor. What now, brown cow? Um. Never mind. Tv-itis night. Watched a show about crop circles. Currently watching the new Dr. Who. Also watched the local news- extremely depressing.

Daughter's Bridging ceremony was touching & overdone at the same time. Daughter is sad because not all of her friends are attending the school she chose. That much is natural. Not overdone from her perspective, but from ours. Maybe I'm unusually cynical & hard hearted, but jeez. These kids have a minimum of four years more basic education- not to mention college or vocational training or whatever. Call me nasty, but come on. Then again, I guess some kids barely scrape by & one more year they pass a grade is one year closer to graduation?

Still no cupcakes baked. I did however, get a new satin bedspread from my mom, courtesy of her attic. My room is a sort of unusual shade of pink that changes to peach dependiing on the time of day/year & type of light. The bedspread is a light peach that compliments the color nicely. Poor Husband. He only tolerates our "girly boudoir." Still- I sleep in there so he's stuck. HAHAHA Yes, I'm evil too.

Happy Weekend all~

I'm A Slacker

Confessional- I skipped both of the events tonight & rushed home after piano lessons. Not only that, I haven't made the cupcakes. I've been a baaaaaaaddddddd, baaaaaaaddddddddd girl.

My mom is coming tomorrow. Apparently, Daughter invited her, but either a) forgot to tell me or b) told me & I forgot. Probaby b.

What else? I can't remember. Oh yes- Son #1 & I did four miles worth of interval training this morning. I'm tired. Monday's covers on Smartbitches weekly cover snark inspired me to at least briefly stare at my TBR this morning.

Oh yes- LOOOOOOOVVVVVVEEEEEEE watching those yummy soccer players race up & down the pitch. The games so far have been wonderful. I must say Posh Spice's husband, David Beckham, is exceptionally cute (I'm late to the party I know) as long as he doesn't actually speak out loud.
Spice Girls, Posh Spice, David Beckham, Family Life

Slumping again?

Or simply too busy/tired to read? I'm unsure at the moment. Husband says the new exercise routine is tiring me more than I give it credit. I'm not sure I agree, since I've been overwhelmingly tempted to take my entire romance TBR to the library for their sales. Any takers?Uh..sorta kidding. Not quite ready to dump it all yet, but ...

Schedule update- no rest for the overscheduled, at least for the next few days. Tomorrow- piano at 5:30, church event 6:15; another meeting 7:15. Friday- bake 4 dozen cupcakes, frost, etc. for nephew's baptism Sun.; Daughter's 8th grade bridging ceremony; last day of school. Saturday- clean up day at the local national park a.m.; drive to parents' house pm; help set up nephew's reception at church that evening. Sunday-church, baptism & reception; visit in laws; drive home.

Don't forget the exercise routine. Try to figure out where in my parents' neighborhood we could walk safely. Figure out how to gracefully extricate ourselves from in laws after a reasonable but not interminable visit.

Monday- Collapse. After my walk. Did I tell you I plan to make the kids walk with me?
Exercise, Family Life

Blogthings fun

You Are 43% American

America: You don't love it or want to leave it. But you wouldn't mind giving it an extreme make over. On the 4th of July, you'll fly a freak flag instead... And give Uncle Sam a sucker punch!

How American Are You?

Changes @ Bookwormom Central

I've started (maybe resumed is more accurate) a morning exercise routine in the last few weeks. Initially I would post here first & do all my chores & running around & exercise was pushed farther & farther back on the to do list. It got to the point where I wasn't leaving the house to exercise until after 9:30-10 pm.

In order to make exercise a priority in my schedule, I've decided to start posting at night & exercise in the morning during what had been my posting & surfing time. Of course, it took me several days of falling asleep on the couch at odd times to figure out that my evolution into a nocturnal schedule wouldn't work.

I haven't been reading. I'm behind on my surfing. I'm behind with blogging. On the other hand, I walked 10 miles last week & 7.3 miles so far this week. Husband went shopping for me & bought me cute exercsie clothes.
Exercise, Blogging, Lifestyle Makeover

Mother's Work

Is never done. Really. The family calendar this weekend is crammed to the last minute with events. A woman may even be forced to skip her beloved afternoon siesta! It's a crime, I tell you.

Daughter's Sunday school class is ramping up for their pilgrimage next summer. Opening event- ginormous rummage sale today. The fun & exciting program opens Thursday afternoon with the inital table set up & sorting of the mountain of crap- I mean treasures. Thursday we were there for just over three hours. Another hour or more Friday night.

Today the older kids are volunteering at Faux House all day (see Thursday's post). Which entails a forty five minute drive one way. Son #2, Husband & I worked the actual sale at church from about 10am to 2pm. At the end of which time, I discover our trunk full of goodies. A 10 gallon fishtank. An empty computer tower housing (don't ask, steam is still coming out of my ears on that purchase). A few more books because Husband says his goal is to sink the house into the ground due to book hoarding. A few really nice clothing purchases- camel suede leather suit coat from Gucci, a Givenchy leather purse among other items. We left before the real fun began- carting the leftovers to Goodwill.

Husband is off to fetch the older kids from Faux House. Dinner has yet to be cooked. Tomorrow is church, then the annual parish picnic. After that I get to supervise the usual weekend chores- laundry, changing sheets, vaccuuming bedrooms. I was going to say homework, but at this stage I figure it's the end of the year. No more homework.

Meantime we're DVR'ing whichever World Cup matches are on, which isn't nearly enough to please the Husband. I guess I ought not complain- at least it's a quiet activity with no driving involved. The third leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, are on this afternoon; also DVR'd for later viewing pleasure. I doubt I've enough brain cells still awake enough to read.

Thursday 13 #13- DC Events

13 free & nearly free events in Washington DC held this summer. I hunted for things that will be held over at least a couple of days, some events stretch over the summer & into the fall.

1.19th & 20th Century American Photography

2.Renaissance of Venetian Painting

3.Botanical Treasures of Lewis & Clark, celebrating the 200th anniv. of Lewis & Clark

4. Environmentally friendly home contstruction & decorating

5. National Zoo, baby tigers, pandas & sloths (free timed tix rec. to see pandas)

6.Folklife Festival, featuring: Alberta CA, native basketry, New Orleans jazz & nuestra musica (latino music)

7.List of free parades & concerts over the summer

8.Free movies on the Mall during the summer

9.Comprehensive list of other free events compiled by National Geographic

10.Summer Restaurant Week dates TBD, but worth waiting for. Prix fixe lunch & dinner meals at the best tables in the city. List also details other US cities.

11.National Academy of Science museum. Only charge $5 per adult, $3 per student. Recommend over 13 only.

12.Smithsonian Jazz Cafe live jazz, food & beverages Friday nights. $10 cover, kids welcome. Discount if you went to see an IMAX at the museum & have your stub.

13.Museum & gallery cheat sheet 'insider info' to help you figure out where to go & when.

List your TT in the comments & I'll link to you here. Click link above to see other participants.


Washington DC Tourism, Thursday 13, Thursday Thirteen, Washington DC

Faux House

I am putting up free advertising for Faux House (click link above for explanation) in Arlington VA. Son #1 & Daughter will be volunteering at the House this Saturday all day- stop by & tell them hi if you can. The photos in the gallery are amazing, let me tell you.

Their primary goal is to eventually publish a photobook of the house & the techniques used to decorate the House. However- proceeds from events & sales related to the House will go to Habitat for Humanity in New Orleans to help buy a house.

There are also events in the Chicago area, if you live out there. The rectory at Church of the Atonement has had some work done. See bottom of gallery page for photos.
Faux Finish, Decorative Painting, Faux House, Habitat for Humanity, volunteering

Compassionate laundry

It's old home week, here at Bookwormom Central. Sunday night Husband helps me with the laundry by sorting two weeks worth of linens, our laundry & daughter's laundry- all over the kitchen floor. I'm grateful, I think. Except that the kitchen is a galley type with very little room. Yesterday I think I washed & folded eight loads of linens alone. Yes, yes, I realize it's partly my fault for skipping the linens last week.

On top of the laundry, yesterday noonish, the school nurse calls. Son #2 is in her office. Drive over & pick him up. He comes home, gets into his pjs & climbs into Daughter's bed (her room is cooler) & falls asleep. This child is 10 years old & never stops talking. I decided that he really must be sick after all. Why Daughter's bed? He sleeps in a loft & I reminded him that if he needs help I can't get up there. Thus- Daughter's bed.

After Son #1 comes home, I run out for errands & the Daughter. Who was reasonably gracious about sharing her bed. To ease the pain I buy her a new clay masque & face wash. Stopping by her room I pop the thermometer in & go get him an insulated cup of water. Return & discover his temperature is 103 & climbing. Wow. He's really sick after all.

Then I feel a little guilty. Why? Well- I'm not overly sympathetic or compassionate. Husband teases me that I've the bedside manner of a dr. That is to say- no bedside manner to speak of. I tell him it's a good thing the kids have HIM to make up for my shortcomings.

After all that- it's time to cook dinner. Where in the hell is the maid? Who fired her before she could finish the laundry & cook dinner?! Darnitall! Good help is so hard to find. Once dinner & laundry were done I realized I'd not taken my daily constitutional. Husband was home by then so I dragged him with me. We ended up walking about 2.3 miles (1/2 up a long steep hill), being attacked by a teacup poodle.

Today I'm tired. Son #2 is home, fever still raging. Possible strep throat caught from Son #1 who had it last week. I made beans in the crockpot & bought Son#2 some juice. He's watching ancient movies on tv (the original Poseidon Adventure & Curse of the Pink Panther).
Parenting, Family Life

My Heart Stood Still; L. Kurland

As usual, a well done time travel by Lynn Kurland first published in 2001 by Berkeley. I enjoy her books, but for me the historicals have been the keepers. Somehow the contemporaries haven't had quite the emotional depth.

The hero is your typical type A, adrenaline junkie, ghost seeing, psychic multimillionaire who *gasp, surprise* is full of ennui. One day, after spilling eggs all over the floor at his seaside estate in Maine, he decides to refurbish a castle he bought in Scotland.

The heroine is a ghost who was murdered at age 24 after being sold off to heathan Englishman. She has haunted the hero's derelict castle for over 600 years & isn't particularly interested in allowing the renovation of 'her' castle. Slowly the two reach a detente.

Eventually relations thaw to a point where the hero travels to a point in time just before the heroine is killed & he brings her forward. From there they have to rebuild their relationship from scratch. This point was important to me. Kurland did not take liberties with time & memory. Because the heroine was brought forward alive, she doesn't have memories of the hero or their relationship because it happened while she was a ghost. Kurland does not skimp on this point & that renewed my respect for her work.
Romance Novel, Time Travel Romance, Romance Review

Driver's Ed

Follow up to last week's Thursday 13. Go HERE & take the test. NO CHEATING. Compare your results HERE with the rest of your state. How well did you score? Did you pass in the first place? LOL Post your score & the state where you live- if you dare!

I took the quiz & scored 75%, which according to the GMAC page is a passing grade. I fell off my chair in shock, I swear. The ironic thing about it all is- I took driver's ed in Massachusetts- which is tied with NJ for 48th worst, I currently reside in metro DC which ranked dead last. My driver's ed instructor was a Massachusetts State Police officer, though, so maybe that made a difference.

Happy weekend all!
Driver's Ed, Driver's Test, Road Rage

May Synopsis

May was a surprisingly productive month, now that I look back on it. I felt bogged down & dithered around much of the time , but in actuality I glommed several books into a few days & then slumped a few days & repeated the cycle.

Fantasy
1. Sebastian by Anne Bishop
2-4. The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
5. Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop

Romances; Trad. Regencies & Paranormals

6. Sorcery & Cecelia by Wrede & Stevermer
7. Bewitching by Jill Barnett
8. One Good Turn by Carla Kelly
9. Miss Timothy Perseveres by Emily Hendrickson
10-11. A Proper Marriage & Devall's Angel by Debbie Raleigh & Allison Lane respectively
12. Kiss of the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon
13-14. Night Play & Seize the Night by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Thursday 13 #12- Summertime

Summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime! My favorite 13 summertime activities (not including hiding in the AC). Click link above for more participants, leave a link in the comments & I'll list you.

1. Tourist watching on the Mall

2. Watching late evening tennis- Kids against Husband

3. Late night walks

4. Haunting the Smithsonian museums

5. Kids visiting G'ma & G'pa & 'the folks'

6. Free concerts & movies on the Mall

7. Beaches

8. Laughing at the tourons stuck on I 95

9. Gardening

10. National Zoo-ing

11. Picnics

12. Pick your own berries

13. Getting to sleep in!

Doug at Balls & Walnuts has his 13 up. Cin from Vancouver BC has a list up too.

Thursday 13, Thursday Thirteen

Rummage Books

Daughter's Sunday school class is hosting a huge rummage sale in two weeks. Husband & I have been collecting odds & ends from around the house to donate. Unknown to me, he'd also mentioned the sale at work & collected quite a few things from his coworkers. One of which was a box of books!

I was so excited. You'd've thought Santa'd come early. LOL Unfortunately for me, the books were sci fi & thrillers by authors I don't read. Else they were half of a series. Never the first half, usually the middle or the end & mostly of series that seem to have no final chapter in sight. *Boo Hoo* I did salvage a like new mass market copy of Kushiel's Chosen by Jacqueline Carey. I'd read the series in hardcover & loved it.

Other book news

I bought a copy of The City of Ladies by Christine de Pizan. Penguin has a beautiful little group of paperbacks of literary & philosphical masterpieces. Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is another one. The series is called Great Ideas. I plan to buy several more.

I also bought a copy of Much Ado in the Moonlight by Lynn Kurland.
Books, Romance Novels, Family Events

2 More Kenyons

I'm desperately trying to read down my TBR. Somehow I find Kenyon's work compelling & easy enough to read that I can glom three or four in a row. So far they haven't been keepers. Yet I enjoy the fact that there are recurring characters & readers get glimpses of them in subsequent books.

Night Play

You have your shapeshifter male with a huge Greek name who falls in lust with a zaftig Irish American woman who has just been dumped by her sucky tv personality boyfriend. You have your cast: the totally insane MIL, the almost but not quite trustworthy BIL, the zombified BIL, the Peltiers & their great bar Sanctuary, &, as always, Ash. So as long as you can totally suspend reality- you're in for a great read.

Seize the Night

Of all the Kenyons' I've read this one is my favorite because the hero, Valerius, is emotionally tortured. Valerius, half brother to Zarek (who has his own book, Dance with the Devil). Valerius has walled himself off because a)of his family history & b) most of the other Dark Hunters hate him due to (A). Tabitha, the local 'crazy lady' vampire huntress, empath & secret soft hearted do gooder accidentally stabs him during a fight. One thing leads to another & eventually, Tabitha gets Valerius to loosen up & let go & Valerius teaches Tabitha that not everyone thinks she's "only" the crazy lady.
Paranormal Romance, Romance Review

Memorial Day Concert

Late yesterday afternoon we took Metro up to DC to watch the Memorial Day Concert from the lawn of the Capitol building. It was a beautiful night, cool & breezy, lavender tinted sunset right behind the huge tree beside the stage. Clear view down the Mall to the & glimpses of Arlington in the distance. Note, the view in this photo is exactly what we saw.

We'd packed all the fixins for chicken fajitas, plus a few snacks. A few years ago I bought a picnic backpack from LL Bean. It was the best buy- we use it all the time in the summer. Sidenote- having older kids is great. They're used to carrying backpacks all of the time so I have one of the older ones carry it. Back to the main event. The Capitol Area Scouts were giving out bottles of water. Not that it was overly hot (lower 80's) but there isn't any shade on that lawn.

We had a great time. Love to be outdoors at night.
Family Events, Washington DC

Locked In

It's finally air conditioner season here in metro DC. Until very recently- read a couple of days ago, it hadn't been hot/humid enough to put the extra air conditioner in the window. See, the problem is we live in an older (50+ years) building that has cheap single pane windows & a tiny AC unit.Together this means that it's colder inside in winter & hotter in summer than the resident (ie: my family) might like it. Dollar bills float through the windows at alarming speed.

So we bought a small window unit that helps take the load off of the main one. & surprisingly, our energy bills dropped signifigantly beginning that summer. The landlord has added small decks to some of the units (our complex has quite a few duplexes) rather than invest in substantial renovations like better quality windows or more powerful AC units. But I digress.

This morning Husband & Sons wrestled the little unit into the window & added the weatherstripping etc. I am officially locked into the house for the duration of AC season. *WAAAH* I like to be able to open doors & windows for fresh air. It gets stale in here- especially with three males around.

The only side benefit to the sweltering weather is that my hands & feet aren't ice cold all the time. The bad thing- I often 'feel hot' & don't want to be touched, hugged, etc. during the summer 'cuz everyone is radiating heat. It's yucky hugging someone you can fry an egg on. Husband hates summer for this reason & related ones..LOL.

Hope your house is cooler than mine!
Family Life, Summer Weather

Kiss of the Night; S.Kenyon

A long time ago I started stocking up on S. Kenyon's Dark Hunter series. I didn't read them, I just bought them. I have quite a little collection going now. Slowly I've read them usually several at a time. Today I had to take Son #1 to the dr. Last time I had to take one of them to the dr on a Friday I was there for over 2 hours. Today I grabbed this title on the way out the door & read a good bit of it. Between the dr & the lab I'd plenty of reading time.

You have your basic immortal Viking & your human hybrid girl. Normally archenemies, they're thrown together by feuding, manipulative Immortals. Lust paves the way though. Both of them being victims of external plotting, they now have common ground. That & the fact that the girl is pregnant with his child. In the end, it's all good of course.

You know. I had a lot of problems with the plot & with the characters, yet somehow it kept me curious & flipping pages. I wanted to know how they got to their HEA. I enjoyed seeing other Dark Hunters from previous titles. Not a keeper & yet a good adventure yarn. Kenyon is an autobuy for me despite the fact that I've yet to have a keeper title from her. Go figure.
Romance Review, Books

Thursday 13 #11- Road Rage

Driving pet peeves. I live in the DC 'burbs & driving here is pretty bad, although not as bad as the top 5 on this list I do not claim to be a 'perfect driver.' I am human & I lose my temper- HOWEVER- I did learn to drive in Boston. Which is city #5.

Leave a link to your Thursday 13 in the comments & I'll link to your blog. Click link above to see more TT participants.

1. Not using turn signals. I don't necessarily care if you pass me on the right, cut me off etc, but I do want to know where you're going.

2. Weaving in & out of heavy traffic at high speed. You're going to kill yourself & a few others as well.

3. Tourons (hybrid word consisting of tourist & moron & is therefore self explanatory) who decide they want that exit right there & veer over 4 lanes of traffic at 80 mph to get there.

4. Stopping in the middle of a merge lane because you're scared, intimidated, etc. If driving bothers you that much than don't put the rest of us in danger with your stupidity.

5. Not turning right on red when you're allowed to, even though there's no oncoming traffic.

6. Pulling out in front of me when there's less than 3 car lengths between us & no one behind me.

7.Driving down the emergency lane unless you're a cop or EMS.

8.Backing up in lanes, on ramps or on the highway. Are you crazy?! Go up one more & turn around!

9.Blocking traffic lanes for a fender bender. Pull over onto the shoulder. Jeez. It's just a car.

10.Blocking an intersection

11.Driving less than the posted speed on the highway. You're gonna get run over. For your own safety, if 55 mph & up is scary to you- drive on the secondaries.

12.Cell phone drivers. Note, this all the way down at 12. I've seen both really scary & surprisingly good driving while people are on the phone. It depends on the driver. Spend the extra $$ & use handsfree technology. Better yet- pull over or get in the slow lane.

13.Tailgating at high speed

Edited-Doug has his Thursday 13 up, as does Fiona

Thursday 13, Thursday Thirteen, Road Rage

2 Trad. Regencies

A Proper Marriage

Written by Debbie Raleigh & pubbed by Zebra in 2002. A classic case of opposites attract & then don't know how to get along. Enter Vicar Humbly, who married them, a drop in houseguest who pokes prods & asks gentle questions thus assisting the union of two truly happy hearts. Excellent portrayal of pastoral care & counselling, the terror of in laws & the need to loved as you are.

Devall's Angel

Written by Allison Lane & pubbed by Signet in 1998. A young woman has only one Season to find herself a husband because her brother's marriage is imminent & she refuses to live with their mother in the dower house. Does she marry the man the Ton deems the catch of the Season? Or the man everyone has condemned yet who seems to be around whenever she needs rescuing? Surprisingly deep characterization for a short format Regency.

Both are keepers.
Books, Romance Review

Miscellaneous

There's a great SmartBitch Day rant about American history in romances at JMC's. Very, very funny if only because it's so pathetically true.

Also, New York Times printed a list of the top American fiction of the last 25 years. Any opinions on the list? Love some? Hate some? Confused by some? Sense any literary snobbishness happening?

Winner

Beloved;Toni Morrison

Runners Up

Underworld; Don DeLillo
Blood Meridian; Cormac McCarthy
Rabbit Angstrom: The Four Novels; John Updike
American Pastoral; Philip Roth

Received Mutiple Mentions

A Confederacy of Dunces; John Kennedy Toole
Housekeeping; Marilynne Robinson
Winter's Tale; Mark Helprin
White Noise; Don DeLillo
The Counterlife; Philip Roth
Libra; Don DeLillo
Where I'm Calling From; Raymond Carver
The Things They Carried; Tim O'Brien
Mating; Norman Rush
Jesus' Son; Denis Johnson
Operation Shylock; Philip Roth
Independence Day; Richard Ford
Sabbath's Theater; Philip Roth
Border Trilogy; Cormac McCarthy
The Human Stain; Philip Roth
The Known World; Edward P. Jones
The Plot Against America; Philip Roth

books, NYT top 25,

Maili's Meme

Please click the link above to Maili's webpage to to get links to the other four participants & see the questions she answered. If you'd like to play along, leave a link to your blog in the comments here & I'll think up questions for you tonight.

1. Name a film you’d watch every week for a year, and your reasons for choosing this film.

Hmm. I can think of a few movies I'd agree to watch that often, actually. The first one to come to mind is the LOTR series, mainly because it's visually stunning (scenery & actors) & has enough 'going on' that it could be fresh each time. Other choices would be Casablanca because I'm a sucker for tearjerkers. Amelie & Chocolat because they're cute & happy & sensual.

2. What were your favorite subjects in school and why?

History & English. History because I was born an armchair traveler & I love to learn about people & places long ago & far away (to paraphrase another movie). English literature, not grammar! Much of my childhood reading was centered around children's classics & the literary giants (thanks to my grandfather's tutelage). I fell in love with words & language very young & I find books have helped tide me over many of the difficult periods in my life.

3.What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

Ah. Hm. Leave them alone? Rant to the heavens that they are each endangered because of man's lack of appropriate stewardship on our little blue planet? Kill them both since they're unlikely to survive the lack of genetic diversity necessary to continue their species?

4. Barring being a mother, describe your greatest joy during your lifetime.

I will add the additional bar of being a wife, since I don't feel that either motherhood or wifehood defines the sum total of who I am.

I'd say the last visit I made to my childhood village was my greatest joy. I'd not returned to the area, other than flying visits for funerals, since I was a young teen. Both my father & my husband were military personnel & we moved often, but I always felt a very strong sense of place & belonging to my small village. I returned a few years ago with my husband & went hiking & took long walks & went to the last country fair of the fall. It sounds corny I know, but a part of my soul sighed in contentment & happiness & said, "You belong here. You will carry me in your heart forever."

5.If there was a time machine, which time period would you visit and why?

I think I'd probably go back to golden age of the Roman Empire. I'd love to see the Coliseum & the Forum in their glory. The US is often described as 'the evil empire' & I'd enjoy comparing & contrasting the two.

Miss Timothy Perseveres; E. Hendrickson

Much of this is standard romance scripting and yet it worked. Orphaned young woman used as an upper servant & companion, named Persys Timothy, is summarily kicked out of her aunt's home when her cousin gets married. Fortune smiles on Persys the day after the wedding when the Duke of Eddington hires her to be a companion to his invalided mother.

Although immediately attracted to her, Eddington realizes Persys needs time & space. His mother is an astute & friendly woman who isn't above scheming ( alot!) to bring Persys & Eddington together. Throw in Eddington's scheming cousins, Charlotte & George, Persys' attempt to start a school for girls & Eddington's reticence & you've a touching comedy of errors & manners.

I enjoy Ms. Hendrickson's work as it rarely fails to make me smile.
Roamnce Review

One GoodTurn; Carla Kelly

Color me slow. Carla Kelly has quite a following among traditional Regency fans. Yet somehow I'd not found her. Finally I found one at my one & only UBS. Scooped it up & brought it home. Then it got buried in my TBR. For a very long time. Yesterday, however, the Romance Goddess smiled upon me & said, "Go forth to thy TBR, pull out Ms. Kelly's book & READ it. Today. I demand it."

And all I can say is, wow. This book really worked for me. The heroine, Liria, is a Spanish woman traveling with her young son, Juan, a few years after the War. The mail coach overturns & she sets out in a driving downpour carrying her son & her luggage making for the next inn. Along comes the Duke of Knaresborough, Benedict Nesbitt. Traveling to his seat with his niece & his butler, Knaresborough stops to pick Liria & Juan up, although only after his butler prods him. From there, chicken pox, unexpected guests & fate step in.

Liria's character is revealed mainly through Knareborough's thoughts & observations as opposed to her own actions. She appears to be all that womanhood ought to be- loving, maternal toward her son, organized, a good nurse. Attractive, although not in the classic English mold. If I may say so (speaking from personal experience), Kelly did an excellent job writing a character who had all of the traits of an excellent military wife.

Knaresborough is not revealed in the best light- in love with a married woman he can't have, a recovering alcoholic, obsessed with Liria's supposed status as a 'fallen woman' yet is also a man who eats with his staff belowstairs. Even so, his love for his niece & Juan clearly comes across, his (eventual) concern for his men upon their return to civilian life all speak of a man returning to life after the horrors of a vicious war.

Knaresborough & Liria must reach across the bounds of culture, personal history, class & the long term effects of war to make their dreams come true. Liria's history becomes Knaresborough's obsession. Will she, can she, tolerate his digging into her past? Can each individual grow enough to allow love to flower between them? Can the horrors of war be healed?
Romance Review, Books

Thursday 13 #10- Keeper Authors M-Z

Finishing last weeks's theme, this week rounds out the alphabet M-Z on my romance keeper shelves. I've only listed authors who have two or more titles on my shelves.

1. Amanda McCabe

2. Judith McNaught

3. Nadine Miller

4. Karen Ranney

5. Marylyle Rogers

6. Anne Stuart

7. J.R. Ward

Obviously I've six more to go so I've decided to list authors in my TBR who have two or more titles on the shelves.

8. Rexanne Becnel

9. Jo Beverley

10. Marsha Canham

11. Loretta Chase

12. Claire Delacroix

13. Christina Dodd

Click on the link above to see a list of other Thursday 13 participants. If you leave a link in the comments I'll link to you here~

The ever efficient Doug at Balls & Walnuts has his 13 up. Fickle Fiona has hers up too!

Sidebar Addition

Please stop by Fickle Fiona's & say hello.

Sidebar Additions

I've added three more people to my sidebar, please stop by their blogs & say hello. Cranky and Evil Auntie Peril I found via Smart Bitches. Marg I've seen at Maili's & Avid Reader's (Keishon).

Great Book Covers

In Spain, that is. Squawkradio has a beautiful selection of book covers done up by Spanish publishers. I like many of them much more than ones I've seen here. Why must we suffer with such horrid covers? Obviously someone somewhere can compose nice covers! Just not here in the U.S. I think.

Which Squawkradio covers do you like & which are meh? My favorites are Lisa Kleypas' covers. Also the Christina Dodd cover on the very bottom. Medeiros' real estate covers are pretty too, but I always think they're (real estate covers, that is) a 'safe' choice. Maili has a beautiful first cover up on her blog.
Books, Book Covers

Pillars of the World; Anne Bishop

Remember a few days ago when I discovered I'd started Anne Bishop's Tir Alainn series third book first? Well, I finished the first one Saturday (The Pillars of the World) .

I enjoyed it after a while, but I discovered that the impressions I already had were very hard to set aside. It only goes to show how hard it is to overcome first impressions! Truly, first impressions are crucial. I also discovered that Bishop's villains are equally horrifying in this series as her other series (The Black Jewels Trilogy).

I enjoyed the background details offered, but so far my impression is that these aren't strung quite so tightly together. The characters are just as compelling, especially the pair who are in a position of responsibility to the wider community, but who allow their own frailties & foibles to lead them (& many others) down the road to hell. You know that road- the one paved with good intentions.
Fantasy Review, Books

Bewitching; Jill Barnett

Just a quick skim through for this one. None of it was truly appealing and yet I couldn't put it down. Compelling enough to skim through, but lacking enough oomph to cause me to read every single word.

Alec Castlemaine, the hero, emotionally abused & neglected through his childhood, has retreated into a cold & calculating shell. Joyous MacQuarrie, an inept white witch from the wilds of Scotland, becomes a wife of convenience through Alec's one impulsive act.

Things go downhill from there. Alec is overbearing, controlling & emotionally walled off from his wife. Joy, whom Alec calls 'Scottish' through the book, has no backbone whatsoever & tries whatever she can to attract/appease him without results.

There were several things I disliked about Bewitched. One- Alec cannot be bothered to call Joy by her given name or by her title. Two- she does not seem to have a backbone at all & accepts whatever crumbs he casts her way. Three- They finally come together through outside intervention, not their own efforts.

The positives- Alec's best buddies take Joy under their wings & help her as much as they can. Alec tries to protect Joy from the 'gossipy old biddies' of the Ton whenever he can. Alec & Joy both love, nurture & protect Stephan as much as they can, despite their estrangements.

So- enough to keep me occupied me for a couple of hours, but just barely.
Romance Review, Books

Reading Update

Wednesday Husband & I ran around doing this that & the other. Luckily, I'd brought The Pillars of the World with me to tide me over a long wait. The down side, I left the book under the seat of his car & didn't find it until just now. Meantime, I'd hunted high & low for it.

Thursday I gave up & started The Changeling, which is a reread & therefore doesn't count toward my annual book total. Changeling is another young adult fantasy. Light in tone, yet sounds & feels like a folk tale or legend.

Young serving girl in a fishing village becomes infuriated with the sea that took her fisherman father & won't return him. Peri determines to hex the sea, hoping it will return her father. The King's son, Prince Kir, discovers her plot & helps her having a hidden motive of his own. Who succeeds & who fails & how even the smallest actions can make large ripples round out this little tale. Well worth a quick afternoon read.

Book Review, Fantasy Novels

Sorcery & Cecelia; Wrede & Stevermer

What a treasure! A gothic, paranormal traditional Regency wrapped up in a young adult package. According to the copyright page, it was originally published in 1988 by Wrede (author of the series Dealing with Dragons). Stevermer has published a book called River Rats. In the authors' notes at the end, it seems it began as a type of creative writing exchange). Which by the end of the summer they realized might become a book.

Told in first person as a letter exchange between two cousins. Each girl's voice is unique & easily identifiable as her own. The period details are all there & I found this story to be very close to the tone & feel of a well done traditional Regency (Alison Lane & Judith Lansdowne come to mind) as opposed to a young adult paranormal.

Cecelia is mired in the country with her family while her cousin Kate is bundled off to London for her first season. They stumble into an odd little conundrum entirely by accident. Things develop from there. Quite well, as a point of opinion. Lady Jersey & the Countess Lieven both make appearances. I have to say though, Lady Jersey is less favorably portrayed than is common, while Almack's is descibed in altogether a rosy fashion. Which I supppose is only to be expected as Kate is from the country & does not pretend to have 'town bronze' as it is usually described.

The next book in the series is The Grand Tour already available. Another, The Mislaid Magician comes in November of this year. The back cover is sufficiently enchanting that even Daughter, the 14 year old anime fanatic, is intrigued.

Thursday 13 #9- Keeper Shelf Authors

Authors A-L whom I have two or more titles, on my romance keeper shelves, in alphabetical order:

1. Shana Abe

2. Mary Balogh

3. Jill Barnett

4. Jo Beverley

5. Christine Feehan

6. Gaelen Foley

7. Sandra Heath

8. Michele Jaffe

9. Lisa Kleypas

10. Lynn Kurland

11. Allison Lane

12. Judith Lansdowne

13. Elizabeth Lowell

None of the Laurens titles are Cynster series. The Lowell titles are very old historicals.

Hope you liked a little peek at my reading life!
*Edited to add- Balls & Walnuts has his 13 up!

Thursday Thirteen, Thursday 13, Romance Novels, Books

Do Over

Yesterday I said I'd started on the third book in Anne Bishop's Tir Alainn trilogy. This morning I started the first one. I hope filling in the backstory goes quickly, I want to return to the third book ASAP. I'm not as patient as I pretend to be!

Very interesting discussion over at Avid Reader's about Tearjerkers. Everyone had a different viewpoint, which is always fun.

I need to go out & find Paullina Simons' Tatiana & Alexander series. Which, according to Amazon UK, the third book will be out in the UK this summer. I've not heard of these, but they seem to have a loyal following & hopefully the third one will be just as great as the first two.

Off to the UBS & lunch out with Husband.

Webby Awards

The 10th annual Webby Awards have been decided- click the link above to see 'the best of the best.' I have to say, I surf quite a bit & have only seen a few of these, but it'll be fun visiting the sites & poking around.

Currently Reading:

The House of Gaian by Anne Bishop, book three of the Tir Alainn series. I guess I likely ought to begin with the first one, which is Pillars of the World, but I'm 140 pages into this one & don't want to stop. We'll see. I'm sure the story would arc & resonate better in order.
Webby Awards, Books

April Synopsis

Following is a list of titles I read during April. Some new, some old, some romances, some horror, & some fantasies. One DNF.


1.Silver's Bane by Anne Kelleher~Fantasy Romance

2.Solstice Wood by Patricia McKillip~Fantasy

3.Sunshine by Robin McKinley~Horror

4.Lover Eternal by Robin McKinley~Romance

5.Dark Demon by Christine Feehan~Romance

6.Minion by L.A. Banks~Horror

7.Love's Reward by Jean R. Ewing~Romance

8.A Noble Resolve by Sara Blayne~Romance

9-11.Lady Scandal, Her Perfect Earl & Under the Kissing Bough. Lady Scandal & Under the Kissing Bough by Shannon Donnelly. Her Perfect Earl by Bethany Brooks.~Romance

12.A Singular Lady by Megan Frampton~Romance

The DNF was Lady Scandal by Shannon Donnelly.

Game

Stolen from Tara. There's only one question, but lots of reading so I suppose it isn't a quiz, but game isn't quite right either.

You Are 52% Open Minded

You are a very open minded person, but you're also well grounded. Tolerant and flexible, you appreciate most lifestyles and viewpoints. But you also know where you stand firm, and you can draw that line. You're open to considering every possibility - but in the end, you stand true to yourself.

How Open Minded Are You?

Try it & see!
Games, Quizzes

The Black Jewels Trilogy; A. Bishop

In this series, the good guys are very very good & the bad guys are very very bad. I have to say though, that I felt the 'good guys' were more rounded, complex characters- fuller human beings. The bad guys, I saw as similar to historical people like Hitler & Stalin. Totally out of touch with their own humanity, morality, compassion. Completely warped out of recognition by the pursuit of power & wealth. People who enjoy the subjugation & suffering of others.

I only managed to read 'the bad guys'parts through the first book. After that I found them too ..evil, over the top, something like that. They made me too uncomfortable. Besides, I was too much in a hurry to see what everyone else was up to. Where they were going & how they wanted to get there.

The major themes arcing across these books, as I see them, are: proper use of governing power; relationships between men & women, humans & animals, magically gifted & 'regular' people, parent & child; the whys wherefores & how tos of maintaining faith in a person or idea during a time of struggle. Last, but not least~ we get to watch a man & a woman develop the friendship & trust & openness necessary to a strong relationship. Subsequently you alternately laugh & cry with them & for them as they & their relationship are pushed to the ultimate limit.

The plot is this- a variation of humans gifted with differing levels of magic rule over a small group of countries in a medieval type setting. In one particular country, the ruling women subjugate the men in their court via pain & torture & degredation. A pair of brothers is held separately, in different courts, in this manner. It turns out they are awaiting a prophesied all powerful queen who, according to legend, will restore the power balance & morality of the magical race.

She finds each brother while a small child & visits them in their cells. We then watch her grow & suffer until she accepts her tutor's offer to live with him in his court. The brothers manage to make their way either to her at her family estate or to their father's court where she ends up as both his adopted ward & his pupil. Once she has fully come into her power, she is obligated to cleanse her people of the evil taint. How she does this, the price she must pay & the price her loved ones must pay totally absorbed my attention & captured my heart.

I strongly recommend this series. I ran around like a crazy woman last week hunting for Anne Bishop's books & it has been well worth my time, effort & and money.

Fantasy Review, Book Review

Day on the DC Mall

My mom is visiting over the next day or so specifically so we could see the Cezanne exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. Advice- don't be cheap. Rent the audio tour. They're very good & well worth the money (in this case $5). My favorite is a watercolor, rarely seen, of a bridge with the barest of outlines of bathers in the water. Unfortunately, I could not find a print of this watercolor for sale in any of the books in the shops. *Waah* :(

It is also National Public Service Recognition Week- a fact I didn't know until we arrived on the Mall & saw a huge display of military & police vehicles, tents, police dog demos, helicopters, etc. Tons & tons of assorted vehicles to climb on, Navy divers in a tank to play tic tac toe with (via waterproof markers & plexiglass) who are VERY EASY on the eyes ladies. Mounted police. It's a kids heaven. Unfortunately, they weren't on any of the events calendars I looked at while hunting around for this post so whatever traffic they get will be purely by happenstance.
Washington DC, Family Events

Thursday 13 #8- Fav. Themes

Romance novel themes that is. Clink the link above to see more participants & their lists. Ready? Set..go!

1. Emotionally wounded hero
a)Lord of Ice Gaelen Foley
b)The Duke & I, Julia Quinn
c)Once A Warrior, Karen Monk

2. Guardian & Ward
a)Kissing Cousins, Nadine Miller
b)Four in Hand, Stephanie Laurens

3. Abduction/Captive
a)Promise the Moon

4. Highwayman/thief
a)My Lady Notorious, Jo Beverley

5.Time Travel
Any Lynn Kurland

6. Paranormal
a)Vampires- Susan Squires, JR Ward, a few Christine Feehan
b)Fairies- Marylyle Rogers, The Fairy Godmother Mercedes Lackey
c)Other Creatures- Melanie Jackson; Dream of Me, Lisa Cach; Smoke Thief, Shana Abe

7.Spies
a)An Arrainged Marriage, Jo Beverley

8.'Bluestockings'
a) Guilty Pleasures, Laura Lee Guhrke
b)Lord Stanhope's Propsal, Jessica Benson

9.Second Chances
a)The Bedeviled Duke, Judith Lansdowne
b)Borrowed Dreams, May McGoldrick

10.Adventure/road
a)My Lady Notorious, Jo Beverley
b)Promise the Moon, Linda Lea Castle

11.Governesses
a)Scandal, Brenda Joyce

12.Marriage of Convenience
a)The Reasons for Marriage, Stephanie Laurens
b)The Deception, Joan Wolf

13.Medieval
a)Dark Champion, Jo Beverley
b)Lord of Danger, Lady Fortune- Anne Stuart
c)Wild, Wonderful- Jill Barnett
d)Secret Swan, Shana Abe

IMO, what this list proves, more than anything else, is that sometimes even the most overused Romancelandia cliches can be well &/or uniquely done. Sidenote- none of my Laurens titles are the Cynster series. Hmmm.

Thursday 13, Thursday Thirteen, Books, Romances

Math Game

Fun & easy- I promise! I found this here. Ready? No calculators allowed.

1. How many times per week would you like to eat some chocolate? IOW, pick a number between 1-10.

2. Multiply by 2. After all, you can never eat enough chocolate!

3. Add 5

4. Multiply by 50. No cheating. Use scratch paper.

5. If you've had your birthday already add 1756. If your birthday is coming add 1755.

6. Subtract the four digit year you were born

You should end up with a three digit number. The first number is your original number from step one. The second two digits are your age. According to the site where I found it, 2006 is the only year this game will work. I don't know about that, but it was a fun few minutes. I tried this with our children last night & it works every time! Have fun!

Games

Mudslinging time

A big thank you to Lindy on the Romantic Times for bringing this to my attention. Click the link above. Read the section titled, Over the Ocean. The part you're looking for is at the bottom. Are you pissed off yet? You should be. Here, here's the most judgemental part, in case the link is bad. Ready:


"I don't write romances, where there is nothing more than the man and woman getting together and then being torn apart and the rest of the book is about their getting back together. My books are too complex for romance readers.."

This is a link to her website, in case you don't know who she is.

I'm actually surprised the magazine didn't edit out that segment of her reply. We may not get much respect *nods to Rodney Dangerfield*, but our dollars do. I would have thought (who knew I could think? I read those trashy romances after all) the editors of this magazine wouldn't want to offend a huge segment of the book buying public. Did they think this obviously inflammatory quote wouldn't get around?

Romance reading women are apparently stupid cows who lack the intelligence to buy superior fiction, ie: hers. Or could this be a slam on the editors who feel this woman won't sell in the US? A slam on the publisher's PR deptartment? In other words, if we (that is, US readers) haven't heard of her, whose fault is it- ours or her publisher & marketer's? Slamming the biggest spending segment of the book buying public is not the way to go.
Books, Opinion

Glomming

I think I'm in danger of becoming Tara's most despised creature- a rabid fangirl!As soon as I dropped Son #2 off at school & tidied up the house I rushed out to the UBS to grab up all of their Anne Bishop books. Luckily I found four of the six & scooped them up. So I only had to pay full price for two. Husband's sigh of relief can be heard all 'round the globe at eight pm tonight when he finds out. LOL

I bought a new to me author based solely on title alone- a very, very rare event for me I have to say. It's Sir Apropos of Nothing by Peter David. I love puns & word games & puzzles. I couldn't resist. Besides, I'd just saved all that money on the Anne Bishop books. Right?!

Books

Sebastian; Anne Bishop

Have you seen a print of Rind by MC Escher? Or maybe you like Salvador Dali's thought inspiring world where the usual laws of physics don't apply? Anne Bishop's new novel, published this past February by ROC reminds me strongly of these artists.

Ephemera (which means anything short lived or transitory, according to Random House) is a totally unique world & Bishop peopled it with strong individuals who must follow their own paths toward a common destiny. A world where gardeners hold the fate of many in their plots & where bridges are men. Where all of the usual rules suddenly no longer apply.

Sebastian, my favorite hero type of all- wounded & tormented- must think on his feet & with his heart when world shattering events begin unfolding all around him. Lynnea finds Sebastian's piece of the world & brings light & peace & humanity to the place more important to Sebastian than almost anything else. Together they will have to face their innermost hearts to defeat a common enemy. Will they have the courage to grasp their destiny?

I'd not read Anne Bishop previous to this. Boy, what I've missed, let me tell you. Now I'm compelled to run around like a maniac & glom all of her backlist. She reminds me of Robin McKinley or Anne McCaffrey. Sebastian is an excellent fantasy with strong roamntic elements. Highly recommended.

Books, Fantasy Book Review