Confessions of a Super-Dork

I'm the first to admit that I'm a dork. I've enumerated before the way that I study things I love. I exhibit a truly embarrassing knowledge of all things Star Wars. In fact, once, we played Amy's husband, Trip, in a game of Star Wars trivial pursuit (when I say we, I mean like five of us against just Trip), and well, I took a lot of crap from my friends about being able to hang with Trip. Yeah, I'm a dork about these sorts of things.

About a year or so ago, wonder-author Vivi Anna started talking to me about the show Battlestar Galactica. Or, well, to be more accurate, she started talking about Jamie Bamber and Tahmoh Penniket (that's him below), the two seriously hot guys on BG. At the time, I was traveling a bunch for my job, so I decided to go ahead and download BG onto my iPod. At first, I just downloaded the miniseries, but was quickly drawn into the BG universe and consumed the first three seasons in rapid succession.

BG is a complicated story. Yes, it's set in space, but it really has very little to do with, you know, space. The set up is this: years ago, men created Cylons to assist with the more mundane chores of life. Soon the Cylons rose up and tried to conquer men. They were defeated and banished. They left, and then they evolved and now they're back, and they've begun a full scale attack to wipe man from the world. The interesting part is that during the evolution, the Cylons evolved to the point that they look like man. Many of them have been living among men for years and years before the attack. When they finally attack, there are a number of people who were traveling space ships, they remain the only survivors of the war, and are now battling to stay one step ahead of the Cylons.

It is a finely written story that has much more to do with human drama than with the war itself. The war is really just the backdrop. It is a complicated story with many twists and turns, and last season ended with what can only be described as a shocking twist. Really, truly shocking. We've already been informed that this is the last season of BG, so I'm anxiously awaiting the shows kick off, so we can get back to the action.

Like I said, I know I'm a dork.

What are you a dork about? Do you have a favorite TV show or movie that is, shall we say, a less than dignified pick??

Help A Girl Out

UPDATED! It's ELITE 8 TIME!! Vote for Colleen Again, please by going HERE!!


My girl Colleen Gleason has made it to the Elite 8 in Da-BWAHA, which is bracket, not unlike the NCAA backets, only it's for romance novels.

Now she's up against a Young Adult romance called Wicked Lovely, which will be a tough battle, but Colleen can do it!!

If you haven't voted, please click the link above and vote for Miss Colleen's book: The Rest Falls Away.

GO COLLEEN!

Meh.

All over Romancelandia, a hue and cry has been heard, "have you read Private Arrangements yet?" "Stunning debut" "Brilliantly crafted" -- you get the idea.

So, like a good reader, I snatched PA off the book shelf and settled in for a read. Here's the thing. I didn't like it. First, those who know me know that I blow through probably four to six books a week. It took me three days to finish this book. And that's not counting the day I took off to read Lisa Kleypas' Blue Eyed Devil.

I found that I didn't like the two lead characters. Whatsoever. I thought that Gigi the heroine needed a FIRM slap most of the time. And Camden was an angry bitter man who, yes, he was duped, but was still holding a grudge 10 years later. Did the author justify his grudge throughout the book? I'd imagine a lot of readers would say yes, they felt that she justified their estrangement and his anger. Me? I just wanted to shut them both in a room and say, "Don't come out until you've talked about this."

This book is not so much a "Big Misunderstanding" book as a the "two main characters are stubborn, misinterpret every single thing said and done by and to each other" book. It just didn't work for me.

All of that being said, the book is marvelously well written. Thomas has a strong voice and deft hand with descriptions. She's written the book in an unusual time period, 1880-1890, which was nice. There was new and interesting technology coming about at that time, so it made the book interesting from that aspect. Her dialog is smart and well written. It's just that...I didn't like the characters. I wasn't rooting for them, and in the end, I didn't really care whether they got their Happily Ever After.

Which leads me to give this book a C. I'd rather read a more poorly written book and adore the characters than read a finely written book where 3/4 of the way through the book, I wish the main characters would just give up on each other and go their separate ways. I don't think that's the point of romance. ;o) I will probably read Thomas' next book, Delicious, which comes out in August, but I won't be running right out to pick it up.

What Makes a Happy Couple

I'll be the first to admit that I probably wasn't a good wife. I got married very young (22) and I'm not sure either of us really thought past our wedding day. We struggled for a couple of years and finally determined that we weren't meant to be married. It was a painful and difficult time, but one that I can't regret because it would be a terrible thing to regret two years of your life, wouldn't it?

Anyway, Victoria Alexander blogged at Michelle's place yesterday. Now, personally, I'm not a fan of her work, but I thought she blogged about an interesting topic. "What makes a perfect wife?" It seemed like the answer that the group agreed upon was that it wasn't so much a perfect wife, as a perfect match. That you had to be compatible with your mate. I really, really think there's something to this.

All of my siblings are happily married -- and they all have very different marriages. But strong ones, you know? I think a large component of that is that they are well matched pairs. Now, part of that is probably years of history together. Sara and her husband, Brad have been together forever (I've known Brad since I was 6 years old). Chris and Denise just celebrated 20 years of marriage. John and Michelle are approaching it. My folks have been married for 50 years. So I have a lot of people modeling happy marriages in their lives.

So, after reading Victoria's blog the other day, I called a close male friend and asked him what he thought made a "perfect" wife. I thought his answer was really telling and thoughtful:

1- Loyalty to the union and to her husband.
2- Approaches life with a sense of humor.
3- Has an active sex drive.
4- Knows how to dance.

OK, the last one stopped me in my tracks. What??? Dancing?? Really? But no, what he meant was, someone who knows how to manage her husband, and knows how to BE managed. I think that this is a really interesting idea. It's the idea that sometimes you have to work someone around to what you're thinking/wanting. It's knowing how to approach them, or get them to convert to your way of thinking without engaging in a fight about it. I think most couples do it actively.

I'm sure that you don't get to be married for years and years without compromising what you want sometimes and winning what you want other times. I think the victory is in striking the balance.

What do you think?

The Unrefined Heroes of Lisa Kleypas

**While I talk a bit about Blue Eyed Devil in this post, there are no spoilers for the book**

I am an unabashed fan of Lisa Kleypas. If I'm not mistaken, I own every book she's ever published. As a fan, I've marveled at her ability to create sumptuous and evocative romance. She excels at writing strong and deeply alpha heroes along with heroines who are smart and eminently likable.

One of the things I like best about Lisa is that many of her characters are working class. Oh sure, she's written some wonderful, rakish Dukes, Marquises and Earls. But it is her "self-made men" that intrigue me. Some of her most beloved heroes are self-made men. In fact, probably her most beloved romance, Dreaming of You, features one of the most interesting and complex blue-collar heroes, Derek Craven. The interesting part about Derek is that he doesn't aspire to be something he's not. He's rich, he's the first to say he has horrible taste, he is tough, and moody and more than that, he earned every single penny he ever made.

And who can forget McKenna from Again the Magic? Certainly not me. McKenna is a stablehand who falls in love with an Earl's daughter. And she loves him back. But due to circumstances beyond her control, her father threatens to ruin McKenna's life if she doesn't give him up. So McKenna leaves. And when he's gone to New York, and become wealthy beyond anyone's dreams, he comes back to have his vengeance. Of course, this being a romance, it doesn't happen that way.

There's Zachary Bronson, from Where Dreams Begin, who hires his widowed heroine, Lady Holly, to "refine" him and his family. And in the process, he burrows under her skin, when she swore she'd never love anyone but her husband. Again, he's rough and moody and tenacious and unrefined. And we as readers fall in love.

But in Blue Eyed Devil, I would submit that Lisa has written her quintessential self-made man. We first meet Hardy Cates as he saves Liberty Jones (who, by the way is *not* his heroine) from some mean pit-bulls. We watch Liberty experience childhood love with Hardy during the beginning of Sugar Daddy. And then, as with other Kleypas heroes, he leaves her. He becomes a roughneck who works as a welder on oil rigs. Then he becomes an oil man. When we next meet him, he has come back to Houston to woo Liberty, who has met and fallen in love with Gage Travis. Hardy, though in his mind it's not personal, betrays Liberty, and he's left at the end of Sugar Daddy, as somewhat of a villain. I talked to tons of readers who were completely outraged with Hardy at the end of Sugar Daddy.

At the beginning of Blue Eyed Devil, we meet Hardy as he crashes Liberty and Gage's wedding. He says it's in order to give the bride his best wishes, but really, he just likes thumbing his nose at the Travis family. While he's at the wedding, he has an encounter with Gage's younger sister, Haven, that irrevocably changes his life. As the story progresses, we see things from Haven's POV -- not Hardy's. But when she comes back to Houston, a wreck after a traumatic and violent marriage, she's terribly damaged. When she and Hardy meet again, he is bowled over by her. And well, he commences with the wooing. And it's heady stuff. Deeply heady.

The book ends with Haven knowing down to the marrow of her bones that she is cherished by Hardy. All of Lisa's book end that way. And really, isn't that what we all want?

Who is your favorite Lisa Kleypas hero? Why?

Is it me???

Or does Bruce Willis's new girlfriend look disturbingly...like his ex-wife???

Can I get an EWWWWW?

10 Things I Think

If only I had an actual blog topic today. Instead, I have many random thoughts, which you are now going to be privy to -- you lucky, lucky reader, you!

1- I thought Britney Spears was adorable on How I Met Your Mother last night. At no time did she stop being Britney Spears (sort of like when Madonna "acts" -- she's always Madonna), but she was very sweet and adorable. And I have to say that the chemistry between Ted (Josh Radnor) and Stella (Sarah Chalke) was lovely and I'm pulling harder for her than I did any other girl Ted has been with.

2- I think that Lara Adrian's Midnight Breed series has now overtaken the Black Dagger Brotherhood as my favorite vampire series. Why? Well, the mythology is complex, and yet she doesn't waiver from it. Her heroes are strong and tortured and her heroines are smart and gifted. And frankly, the sex is hot and extremely well written. Adrian excels at ratcheting up the sexual tension between her main characters before they consummate. It makes the stories an incredibly fast and compelling read. Her latest was a big story for her, as she was giving a Happily Ever After to one of characters who folks have been clamoring for since the first book. And she knocked it out of the park.

3- I think Lisa Kleypas has truly arrived. I read yesterday that the first print run of the mass market issue of Sugar Daddy was 1.2 million. My guess is that there aren't many romance authors who are publishing now (except maybe Nora and Linda Howard) are getting that kind of print run. For sure I know that I'll be heading out today at lunch to use my Borders gift card (thanks, Stace!) to pick up my copy of Blue Eyed Devil.

4- I think that if Sherry Thomas's next book, Delicious, is as well written and cutting edge as her first, Private Arrangements, she might be among the boldest new romance authors out there. My jaw keeps dropping at the brilliance of Private Arrangements mainly because of how deeply, deeply flawed the two main characters are. And yet, they are both eminently likable. A very, very fine line to walk.

5- I think my sister is going to have an awesome, if utterly exhausting time at Disney World this week. Yes, she's chaperoning the South Lakes High School marching band trip to Disney. Even if she didn't ride roller coasters, I'd say she was incredibly brave. Heck, if she survives the 14 hour bus ride, she'll be golden. Have a blast, Sara! Tell Mickey I said "hi!"

6- I think that North Carolina really might win the NCAA Tournament. They do seem to be peaking right now, which is the perfect time. They've dominated every game they've played so far.

7- That being said, I think Kansas has the most realistic shot of whooping up on them in the Final Four.

8- I think I'm loving the innate sense of competition being a Dancy brings. A couple of days ago, I was two workouts behind my sister in our Bet. But even with the weekend craziness, I managed to catch up. Has little to nothing to do with wanting to be fit -- and everything to do with not wanting her to beat me.

9- I think that Heather and Tracy are going to have an awesome time touring around South Africa. Have an awesome time, girls!

10- I think I'm stuck in a rut food-wise. I've been eating whole wheat pasta every single night this week. I'm going to turn into pasta if I'm not careful. I need some good low-fat dinner recipes.

What's on your mind this week??

John Hughes Movies

I read an article today that someone has made a documentary about five kids in a high school in Indiana that closely resembles the high school from John Hughes' master work, The Breakfast Club. The documentary apparently follows a beauty, a geek, a jock, a freak, and a criminal around school to see how the morays of high school have changed. What's uncovered is that many of the issues highlighted in the film are still very much present in high school life.


I loved John Hughes movies when I was a young teenager. My best friend in high school, Nicole, and I watched Sixteen Candles endlessly. We'd often watch it twice in one night. Same with The Breakfast Club. Before we could drive, very often my sister Sara and her husband would invite Nicole and I to spend the night at their house with them. We almost always ended up watching a John Hughes movie.


Anyway, The Breakfast Club recently aired on one of our local stations and I watched it to see if it was the same as how I remembered it. You know, it really was. The lines were still really funny, and smart. The way the kids interacted was still interesting. But more importantly, the day they spend together, and how they learned to look beyond their "stations" in school was really compelling.



Hughes movies tended to have witty writing, amazing, timely music, and featured most of the teen stereotypes. But his movies also had heart, they tended to feature an underdog who prevailed.

Even though I've talked a bunch about The Breakfast Club, which is probably his best known film, my favorite will always be Some Kind of Wonderful. Although I loved the music from Pretty in Pink, and I saw Sixteen Candles countless times. And still every time I see Alan Ruck from Ferris Bueller's Day Off, I yell "Cameron!"



Are you a fan of John Hughes movies? If so, which is your favorite?

How Fun Is This??

Look at the cute house my parents just bought in Fancy Gap (I *love* the name!), Virginia. It's going to be a nice escape for them when Durham gets too hot. And I'm sure we'll have a ton of fun visiting.

They've been talking about wanting a "mountain" house for quite a while now, so this is great for them.

Fun, huh?

Oh the Horror

Does the fact that I know little to nothing about college basketball stop me from playing a bracket in the NCAA tournament? No. I happily fork over my $5 (which I'll never see again).

But last night I did remarkably well...for me. I missed two games (Mason and USC) and am tied for third in my bracket. The method I use to pick winners is this: I pick teams that I know have a decent shot at winning (UNC, Memphis, Kansas, etc.), and then for teams where I've never heard of either, I do "the battle of the mascots" as in, "Can a golden eagle beat a cardinal?" If yes, hey, you go with the Golden Eagles. Simple.

I've picked UNC to go all the way which has a ton to do with my "homer-ness." I'm a tepid UNC fan, which basically means if I'm going to watch college ball, it's going to be UNC.

I really know nothing about college basketball. But I play anyway.


I should really save it all for football. At least I have a shot at that.

Do you play a bracket? If so, what method do you use to pick the teams?

Beverly Hills 90210

This week brought news that The CW, the young skewing television channel that airs such shows as Supernatural, Smallville and Gossip Girl, has commissioned Rob Thomas (the creator, producer, and writer of Veronica Mars) to create an updated version of Beverly Hills 90210. From what I can tell from the few stories I've read, the new show will have little to do with the old show. There won't be any Walshes, and though the setting is the same, we won't see any of the old regulars.

Now, I was a big fan of 90210 when it aired. I remember the first time I saw it. I was at my friend Jen's house waiting for her to get ready for us to go out. I was sitting on the couch with her two younger sisters. On comes the familiar theme music, and then here come some of the most glamorous "teenagers" I've ever seen. I'm mesmerized by their hair, their hip clothes, their affluence. "What's this??" I ask Madelyn, Jen's younger sister. "Beverly Hills, 90210." She replies. "Annnnnd, who's he??" I ask pointing to the delicious Luke Perry. "That's Dylan," she replies, "He's a bad boy." THUD. Instant Kati-love.

90210 aired on Thursday nights at 8:00, which worked great for me as a college student. We were almost always getting ready to go out to The Creamery, the local bar in Farmville, about 8:00. So we'd watch 90210 as we got ready. I lived in an all-girls dorm, and we rarely closed our doors. You'd hear the sounds of 90210 all up and down the hall. I remember when Brenda finally came home from France and found out about Dylan and Kelly. I'll never forget her standing in her fabulous leather jacket, with her asymmetrical bangs saying, "I hate you both. Never speak to me again." And storming off. I think the entire hall yelled "You go, Brenda!"

So I wonder how the new show will be. Will there be this deep and abiding love of it like we had in college? Will it flop? Will the kids be as fabulous as the Walshes?

It's a mystery.

Where you a fan of Beverly Hills 90210? Who was your favorite character? If you weren't a fan, what shows did you watch in your formative years?

Riiiiippp

So, last night I spent HOURS trying to figure out how to rip a DVD to my computer, and then more importantly, convert it to MP4 format and download it to my iPod. I am one of those people who am sort of tech savvy, but not completely. I usually have to try something multiple times before it works for me. Last night was no exception.

I did manage to rip the DVD I was trying to and get it converted, but I haven't uploaded it yet to my iPod. These things take time. ;o) But hey, at least I figured it out.

I also picked up both Enchanted and Atonement. I loved watching Enchanted again. And I'll watch Atonement, probably this weekend. And yesterday in the mail, two surprises were delivered. First, Julie sent me A Dangerous Beauty by Sophia Nash, which was a lovely surprise, since I'd thought she'd just bring it in May, and then my buddy Colette Gale sent me her newest historical erotic book, Master. I read the first two chapters on the Metro this morning. It's super steamy, but also is written incredibly well. Which isn't a surprise, since my girl Colette can write a story, but it's a refreshing change from some erotic stories that are just really horribly written and could benefit from an editor. Big time.





Also, Happy, Happy Birthday to my good friend Julie!! Jules, you've been such a wonderful and supportive friend to me for years! You rock, Bella. I hope it's a stupendous one!

Five Things

Hi Everyone! Thanks so very much for all of the wonderful birthday wishes. I had a really great day, full of loving messages, good food and, well, shopping! Today, I'm back at work. Yippee.

So, let's see, what to talk about?

First, I finished up Robyn Carr's amazing Virgin River trilogy this weekend. I can't remember the last time I was so blown out of the water by a series of books. Carr has a really wonderful voice that is sweet and yet, she tackles some incredibly tough issues in her books: teen pregnancy, spousal abuse, breast cancer, infertility, rape, etc. But throughout the books is the sweetness of this wonderful small town where the people lean on each other and support each other. It's truly a wonderful series. One that I can't recommend enough.


Second, today I'll be going to Best Buy to buy both Enchanted and Atonement which are both out on DVD today. I can hardly wait to sink into both. I loved Enchanted. Amy Adams, who plays Princess Giselle, just totally throws herself into the wonder of being a "Disney" princess. She's doe eyed and sweet and bursts into song randomly. Which is fantastic because of course, the charm of Enchanted is that she is in "real" New York City. So, when she calls out to the animals to help her clean house, she gets rats, cockroaches and pigeons. It's a wonderful wink to the Disney movie princesses that I adore. Atonement on the other hand is this wonderful, deeply powerful and moving rendition of Ian McEwan's book. First, it's gorgeously shot, a valentine to the English countryside. And tells the story of a young girl who sees an encounter between her older sister and the housekeeper's son and completely misinterprets it. That mistake leads to some horrible consequences. It's directed by Joe Wright who directed 2005's Pride and Prejudice, one of my favorite movies of all time.

Third, in other movie news, Anthony Minghella has died quite unexpectedly. It sounds like he died of a brain hemorrhage after routine neck surgery. I'm terribly sad about that. Minghella directed one of my favorite, wonderful, quirky movies, Truly, Madly, Deeply, which stars the incomparable Alan Rickman. Minghella also directed The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Cold Mountain. All movies I adored. Hollywood has lost a tremendously talented director and producer.


Fourth, I'm impatiently waiting for next week, when all the books I'm looking forward to are being released. I'm really looking forward to sinking into some of them, in particular Blue Eyed Devil, Lisa Kleypas's new contemporary romance. Lisa is blogging today over at Lifetime.tv, if you're interested. She's also given Michelle some exclusive content. Check it out!



Fifth, on Saturday I went with my friends Amy and Christine to see Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day starring Frances McDormand and Amy Adams. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's this fun little movie. It's set on the eve of WWII, and features McDormand, as Miss Pettigrew, who is a governess who has just lost her position. Through a series of misadventures, she ends up hooking up with Miss Delysia LaFosse (Adams), and has one heck of an exciting day. You see, Delysia is juggling three men, Nick, the owner of the nightclub where Delysia is the cabaret singer, Phil, who is casting a new musical in the West End, (Delysia would like the lead) and Michael, the piano player at Nick's bar, and the man she truly loves. It's a wonderful series of antics and makes for a sweet and funny movie. Plus, I discovered the wonder that is Lee Pace. I didn't realize that Lee Pace stars in ABC's Pushing Daisies AND he's American. I would have pegged him as English. He does the accent perfectly. He couldn't be more different (or dreamy) from his Pushing Daisies character in Miss Pettigrew. He's got this wonderful Clive Owen vibe that I loved. I really recommend the movie for a fun couple of hours.

What's up with you? What are you reading right now? What movies have you seen recently that you loved?

Happy Birthday, Ame!

Happy Birthday to my best friend (and birthday buddy), Amy.
She is a true friend and confidant.
I love you, Ame!

A Little Friday Pretty

I give you Mr. Taye Diggs. Voice of an Angel, Smile of the Devil.
Who can resist this man???

The Happily Ever After

**WARNING: Here be spoilers for Sophia Nash's The Kiss**

Last night I finished reading Sophia Nash's The Kiss. I really enjoy Sophia's writing. She always conveys a sense of fun in her writing. Her secondaries tend to be a great source of humor. The Kiss is no exception. Julie tells me that it's the second in a series (sorry, Jules, I didn't realize when I bought it).

Anyway, I really enjoyed the book. But here's the thing, the hero and heroine don't get together until like the last two chapters. There's much angsting and disappointment and misunderstanding on the way to the Happily Ever After (HEA), until finally they have a discussion that clears the air.

It used to be that romance novels never had a Happily Ever After until the last couple of chapters, or heck even the last couple of pages. When I first started reading romance, I read a lot of Johanna Lindsey, and she was famous for not getting the hero to say I love you until the last page. And at the time, that was fine with me. But now, I want my hero and heroine to begin their committed relationship sooner. I want them to already be working on their Happily Ever After two-thirds of the way through the book. I found that my satisfaction in The Kiss was lessened because the hero and heroine didn't start their HEA until practically the end of the book.

I find that I like an HEA earlier in the book because I think we get to see the deepening of the love between the hero and heroine. We see them begin to be a family. We have optimism that their relationship really is going to work.

So what happened to change the convention? Did the change come because of reader requests? Did something happen in the industry to change it? Does anyone know?

What do you prefer, early HEA or last chapter HEA? Does it make a difference to you? If you prefer the last page HEA, what are some example of books where this convention works?

For Love of Madge

I am a huge fan of Madonna. In fact, I can't really remember a time when I didn't love her. She is an absolute pop icon. She's an expert at marketing herself. She reinvents herself every single time she comes out with a new album. She's rock royalty.

And last night she was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame, on her first try. Here's the amazing thing. You can't be inducted into the Hall until you have 25 years in music. It amazes me that I'm still a fan of hers after 25 years.

I've been to three Madonna concerts in my life. Every single one a spectacle. The production values in her shows is off the chart. And how about her MTV Video awards appearances? Yeah, yeah, she kissed Britney in one, but who can forget her rolling around on the floor singing Like a Virgin, or remember her dressed in full Marie Antoinette costume singing Vogue? Her sense of performance is, in my opinion, unsurpassed by any other artist.

I was thinking about it on my way into work today. What is my favorite Madonna song? Is it her early stuff? Holiday, maybe or Crazy for You, which always makes me think of my first kiss. Or is it Vogue or Like a Prayer? I still wiggle in my seat every time I hear Ray of Light, and I simply adore Music, and defy you not to crank it up on the radio when you hear it.


But, no. I think my favorite Madonna song is Cherish. First, I love the video, shot by the late Herb Ritts, who is my favorite photographer of all time (he also shot Chris Issak's Wicked Game). But the song itself makes me happy. I love the bouncy, hopeful nature of it. The words make me smile.

Are you a Madonna fan? If so, what's your favorite Madonna song?

The Fine Art of Pimping

So, I have this reputation as a "pimp" of stuff. Mostly romance novels, but also movies, television and occasionally music. I don't really think of it as pimping, but my friends do.

Here's how it happens. I read something or see a movie or television show or hear a song. I fall a little in love with it, and I become a fan. I'm not a half-measure fan. When I love something, I tend to really immerse myself in it. A good example is my love of football. I'm not just a Sunday watcher, I have about 6 football related websites in my bookmarks. I never, ever miss a Redskins game. I am a student of the game.

Same with romance. First, I read a ton of books. I also have a presence on several major romance websites. I blog a lot about romance.

Same with TV. I have my shows that I love. I talk about them with people who watch. I read news stories about them. I urge people who aren't watching them to tune in or buy the DVDs.

And then it happens. The Robyn Carr series is a perfect example. I read a book and I want to tell everyone I know about it. I talk about it to others who share my tastes. Then, when they read the book, I love to hear from them that they enjoyed it, because then they might tell someone else about the book. I write the author (I know I love to be told good job, so I try to always write authors whose work I've enjoyed). Anyway, somehow that's labeled me as a Book Pimp. I don't have any problem with it. But it does make me laugh, because I don't think of it that way. I think of it as being a fan. I want you to enjoy what I've enjoyed.

Current example: LeeAnn is now watching season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy is number 3 on my list of all time favorite television shows (Friends and SportsNight come first). She bought season 1 and enjoyed it, and then just jumped in with both feet and bought the whole series. I get emails from her every couple of days. Most of them start with "I can't believe ______ just happened!" To which I smile cryptically and send the same email every time: "Expect the unexpected." But it's so much fun for me to watch her discover the show. Just wait 'til I get her started on Angel and Friday Night Lights! :wink:

Are you a "pimp"? Do you gush about stuff you enjoy? Encourage your friends to watch/read/listen to them too? Has anyone ever pimped something successfully to you?

Weekend Round-Up

Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I went down to my parent's house. I left on Friday morning. The drive to Mom and Dad's is about 4 1/2 hours -- not bad at all. I packed Roxie up, which is always dicey as my little darling sometimes has motion sickness. I always travel with a garbage bag and several towels so I can switch them out if she gets sick. Which she did. Lovely.

Anyway, other than that the trip was easy. It was raining pretty hard on Friday, but there was very little traffic, so it really wasn't that bad. When I got to Mom and Dad's my Aunt Lee and Uncle Neil were there. I adore them both. Growing up I have really fond memories of summers spent at their farm in upstate New York. Anyway, I'm crazy about both of them. So it was lovely to visit with them. My mom made delicious chicken fajitas, my all time favorite meal for dinner and we laughed and talked politics and religion and sports. After dinner, my parents gave me my birthday presents.

This:











And this:












Aren't they lovely? I'm a huge fan of James Avery Craftsman. They make gorgeous crosses and religious jewelry, but also great rings and bracelets and other stuff. Anyway, they're based in Texas, and my Mom and Dad just got back from a month in Austin, so it worked beautifully that they were able to get these for me. I'd been casting around for a silver cross for a while, and this one is just perfect. And I love the ring, which I'm wearing on my middle finger.

Saturday I went with my Dad to work out at their gym, which is part of Duke Country Club. Needless to say, it's lovely. Really, really lovely. Had a great workout and came home. Then Mom and I shopped a bit. Saturday night, the took me to Papas Grille, which is this fantastic Greek restaurant. I've never had better tsasiki. SO delicious. I ate myself silly, and then we went home and watched the Duke vs. Carolina game. I may have irritated my Dad, as I root for UNC, and my Dad teaches at Duke. Sooooo, I was happy with the outcome of the game. :grin:

This morning, Roxie and I got up early and headed out. I swear, we probably passed 35-40 cops on I-85 & I-95. Unbelievable. Today was clearly, "Give a Ticket Day." Luckily, I hooked up with a car from Florida that was toodling along at a good clip, but obviously, they had ignored the sign when they crossed the VA state line which says, "Radar Detectors are Illegal in Virginia" because somehow this guy just magically seemed to know when we were coming up on a cop and slowed down. Works for me! So we made it home without a ticket! Yay!

Anyway, I'm actually about ready to get back to work. Hope everyone is having a great weekend and has a terrific week.

The Wonder of Robyn Carr

I know, I know, I've done enough. But I finished a book today that made me heave "the sigh." You know the one. You close the book, you rub your hand caressingly over the cover, and in your head you whisper "I'm telling everyone I know about this book." OK, maybe I'm the only one who does this.

Anyway, my good friend Colleen Gleason has been talking about Robyn Carr all year. Every time I see someone ask her about what author she's reading that she really likes, she replies, "Robyn Carr." So the other day when I was at Borders, I picked up the first in Robyn's "Virgin River" series. Here's the thing, I was a little hesitant. Mainly because I can't remember the last time I read and enjoyed a "straight" contemporary. It was probably last year when I read Sugar Daddy. Anyway, this book doesn't have ghosts, witches, vampires, spaceships or werewolves. It's about "real" people who are living life. There's no murder, no mayhem. The heroine? She's not a cop, or a psychic, or anything else. Melinda is a midwife/nurse practitioner. One who has recently lost her husband. She's been working in the labor and delivery department at a major hospital in LA. And after suddenly and horrifyingly losing her husband, himself a doctor, she realizes that she needs to get away from her "adrenaline" lifestyle. She sells literally everything she has but her car and some clothes and she accepts an job assisting the doctor in Virgin River in Northern California.

When she gets to Virgin River, nothing is what it was "sold" to her as. Her cabin is dilapadated. The town is run down. The doctor? He is pissed as hell that she's there. He doesn't need or want her help, at 70 years old, he's doing just fine. Frustrated, she decides to get a cup of coffee before she heads back to the road, and possibly to Colorado where her sister lives. She gets her cup of coffee from Jack Sheridan, proprietor of the aptly named "Jack's" He's retired military, and has settled into life in Virgin River. He lives in back of his bar, and works with Preacher, one of his men from his military days. Jack is an affable, likeable guy, who takes one look at Melinda and wants her to stay. Sure, he's attracted to her, but also he realizes that the town needs her, and she just might need the town.

OK, so that's the set up for the book. Here's what I liked about it. Jack. LOL! OK that sounds silly. But this man, this wonderful man. He's this patient, affable guy who, unknown to Mel when she meets him has survived 5 wars. He's a hero many, many times over. And yet, he's completely at peace with his life. He realizes almost from the start that Mel is damaged. He fixes up her cabin for her, he teaches her to fish, he becomes her closest friend and ally. And he waits. As he gets to know her, he falls in love. And he begins to help her heal.

Now Mel herself is no shrinking violet. Yes, she's had horrible things happen to her. She's scarred and damaged by losing her husband. But she's a terrific midwife, and Jack says over and over "she's got a light inside her." She's generous and caring and tough. She doesn't want to stay in Virgin River, but the longer she's there, the more drawn in she is by the town.

This is an emotional story. Mel is grieving when she gets to town. And Carr doesn't scrimp on that. But the book itself is one of healing. It's deceptively simple, the book. It's written beautifully and descriptively. The characters are so real you feel like you know them. You want to spend time with the two ladies who watch their soaps every day. You feel for the teenage boy who has just had sex for the first time with his young girlfriend and is panicked about the ramifications. You love the camraderie between Jack and his buddies. You come to love old Doc. And you root for Mel to find her way. Because this is a romance, you know she will, and Jack will be right there with her.

How refreshing to find such a wonderful and entertaining contemporary romance! I finished Virgin River today, and promptly ordered the next two in the series.

50 Gayest Songs

Wow. Some people have too much time on their hands. This Australian website has come out with the top 50 Gayest songs. Yeah. That's what I thought too.

Here's the top 20:

20. Dolly Parton, "9 to 5"
19. Coming Out Crew, "Free, Gay and Happy"
18. Village People, "In the Navy"
17. Frankie Goes To Hollywood, "Relax"
16. Village People, "Macho Man"
15. Judy Garland, "Over The Rainbow"
14. Bronski Beat, "Smalltown Boy"
13. Diana Ross, "I'm Coming Out"
12. Cher, "Believe"
11. Gloria Gaynor, "I Am What I Am"
10. Alicia Bridges, "I Love The Nightlife"
9. Madonna, "Vogue"
8. Olivia Netwon-John "Xanadu"
7. Kylie Minogue, "Better The Devil You Know"
6. Pet Shop Boys, "Go West"
5. Kylie Minogue, "Your Disco Needs You"
4. The Weathergirls, "It's Raining Men"
3. Gloria Gaynor, "I Will Survive"
2. Village People, "YMCA"
1. ABBA, "Dancing Queen"

Sadly, I agree with many, many of these. But this list is missing Scissor Sisters.

What else is missing??

PS - Hat tip to EW for the list.

Pimping March

I love, love, love a big book release month. March is no exception. There are several books coming out that I'm ridiculously excited for:

Lisa Kleypas is a TOTAL auto-buy for me. I'd read the phone book if she wrote it. She writes really luscious historical romances. Her book, Dreaming of You, ranks in my Top 10 favorite romances of all time. Her books are hot, emotional and beautifully conceived. Last year, she made the decision to start writing contemporary novels. Oh, I panicked. I gnashed my teeth. I whined. Contemporaries?? And in Hard Cover?? Sheesh! What had happened to one of my favorite authors. When Sugar Daddy came out, I held off buying it for probably about a month. After much, much cajolling by Michelle Buonfiglio, I bought Sugar Daddy. And I devoured it, and I fell in love with it. Much, much book pimping followed. Heck, I even forced my friend Stacy to read it by buying a copy on Amazon. com and shipping it to her -- I'll do anything to get someone to read an author I love. Anyway, the follow up to Sugar Daddy, Blue Eyed Devil comes out on March 25th. It features the "other guy" in Liberty Jones's life, Hardy Cates. Hardy is a true bad boy, and I seriously can't wait to read this story. I'll be at Borders on the day it comes out happily plunking down the money for it. And maybe faking illness to go home and read it. :wink:

Next up is the fourth in Lara Adrian's fantastic Midnight Breed series. These books are, in my opinion, everything that the Black Dagger Brotherhood is not these days. They are well written, have a precise mythology that Adrian sticks to. Feature incredibly hot heroes and heroines who have an actual spine. They are well written, fast reads. This book also comes out on March 25th, and again, I'll be gladly plunking down money for it too.








I'm really looking forward to this book. I've heard nothing but wonderful things about it. That the story is original, and that the writing is superb. It's remarkable because Sherry Thomas is a debut author. If it is as wonderful as everyone says, well, then that will be two historical debut authors who knock it out of the park, Joanna Bourne and Sherry Thomas. Amazing! Carolyn Jean, I'm expecting a FULL review from you. Once you read it. Since you'll probably get it before I do.









Looking for something to tide you over until the end of March???

Seriously, try this book. It's a futuristic dark fantasy with heavy romantic elements. Sheesh. Way to sell it, huh? OK, I missed a Metro stop reading this book. I'd use the word enthralling to describe it. The author, Ann Aguirre, weaves a masterful, entertaining, dark and twisty story. See my post below for a teeny blurb, along with this link to a terrific review. I loved this book SO much. I instantly emailed Ann to gush. She was lovely and gracious about it, and did not take out an immediate restraining order. I like that in an author.

Which Do You Prefer??

The Sharp Dressed Man?

OR


Jeans and T-Shirt Guy?

I'm not talking about the actors, because please, who can choose? I'm talking about, do you prefer guys who dress up? Or are comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt.

Whole Lot of Leaving

After my experience seeing Bon Jovi the other night, here's the song that I've been listening to over and over lately.

I love the country flavor of the music they are writing right now. Ame says that Richie wrote this song after he and Heather split up, which makes sense when you listen to the words.

More Blah-Blah

So I said to my roommate yesterday that I'm not sure I could have had a less productive weekend. Here's what I did:

Friday: Got my nails done (regular every other Friday occurance) and then I finished my Lauren Willig book (#2) The Masque of the Black Tulip. I'm quite enjoying this series, which is kind of a chick lit/historical romance series. The books are mostly historical romance, although they bounce back and forth between the story of Eloise Kelly, who is researching a league of English spies for her doctoral dissertation (modern day) and the stories related to that league of spies, which are told in the late 1800s. I would describe the books as "romps." Lots of fun, and very witty. I also talked to Michelle for about 2 hours on the phone. We had a great time, planning out stuff to do in May when we have the first Bellathon and then just about romance in general, what we're reading, what we like and don't like and about shapeshifter romances that go to far.

Saturday: I got up early and took my car in to be serviced. (Ugh, $484!) Then came home and pretty much vegged. I watched several movies including: The Music of The Heart, which is a guaranteed "cry" movie for me. When those kids are playing on the stage at Carnegie Hall, it gets me every time. I also went grocery shopping, cleaned the downstairs, and did laundry. But then Saturday night, I noticed that Cinemax is having a "month of 300" on On Demand. So, while my roommate was out with her mom, I borrowed her TV and watched the 300. I'd heard lots and lots about this movie, but had never seen it. It's based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller, of Sin City fame. The movie is interesting. It has this animated look to it, and I'd imagine it was mostly filmed in front of a green screen. The story is about the Spartan army who fought Xerxes' forces, and lost. Anyway, it's an extremely bloody tale, with lots of gory battle scenes, and people getting their heads chopped off, etc. They manage to kill a rhino and an elephant along the way. Also, because it's what I would class as a "boy movie" there were some obligatory naked boobies bouncing around. But for the ladies, there's Gerard Butler, in a little tiny loin cloth and a cape. Walking around in a big bushy beard, mostly bellowing things. Overall, I'd give the movie a solid C. The story was OK, the battle scenes were OK, and Gerard was lovely. But if I'm going to watch a graphic, gory movie about one man's struggle to overcome unthinkable odds, I'm watching Gladiator. Maximus gets me every single time.

Sunday: So on Sunday I started Grimspace by Ann Aguirre. This is a book that has been getting unbelievable buzz through out the romance world. Interesting because I pulled it out of the Fantasy section at Borders. I'll just say this ladies, get your checkbooks out. This is a SUPERB urban fantasy. The heroine, Sirantha Jax is quickly scampering up my kick ass heroine scale. She's damaged and difficult, scrappy and smart and deeply talented. When she's rescued by March, our hero, she doesn't realize it, but she's meeting the love of her life. She's recently lost her lover and partner, Kai, and is deeply resentful of the connection between her and March. This book is imaginative and smart. Aguirre manages to build a complex world with a lot going on in it, without having to take pages and pages to describe it. The book is written in the first person, but because of the connection between Jax and March, we get glimpses into him. I'm only about half way through, but I'm all the way hooked on this book. You can see reviews from some people who've read the book or are going to here and here.

PS - I fixed the font, Sara, so hopefully this is easier to read.

Weekend Blah-Blah

Happy Weekend everyone! I hope everyone had a great week.

I have very few plans this weekend. Last night I went and got my nails done (a regular thing). This morning early I got up and took my car in for it's 20K service. The estimate on the cost is $470. Ugh. But, I love my car and in two years, I've only racked up 20K miles, so I can't really complain. It's the one bad thing about owning a Volkswagon, any time you have service done to the car it's at least $200. But then again, I simply adore my car, so it's worth it.

It has every single feature I could think of that I would want, except maybe the ability for me to plug my iPod into it, which honestly, isn't that big a deal, but if it had it, I'd love it. But other than that, it's just a great, great car.

Anyway, other than getting my car serviced, I'd like to go and see The Other Boleyn Girl, which I may do tomorrow. I'll try to finish the book I'm reading, which is the second in the Lauren Willig series, The Masque of the Black Tulip. I bought three more books this week, The Mark of the Vampire Queen by Joey W. Hill, Grimspace by Ann Aguire, and Virgin River by Robyn Carr. All of these books are ones that are getting a bunch of buzz, or have been recommended to me. And hey, they'll kill the time until the end of March when the new Lisa Kleypas comes out.

Hope everyone has a really great weekend!

PS - Go Meghan! My gorgeous, creative niece Meghan got into Design School this week. I always thought I couldn't be prouder of her, but I was wrong. Go Meghan, you're going to take the design world by storm!