Saturday, September 30, 2006
***** Mort by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy. Re-read.
I tossed this one back in my TBR pile after my son read it to give me an excuse to re-read (we don't really want to get into a discussion of the convoluted ways my mind works, do we?). I hadn't forgotten how much I enjoyed this first Death book, and hadn't really forgotten the details either, but it was wonderfully fun revisiting it.
The basic premise, for anyone who hasn't read the Discworld books, is that Death takes an apprentice, Mort. This is where we learn of the theory behind Death's job, and his affection for kittens, as well as his curiosity about and inability to understand humans, particularly that YEC*. (whoops, mixing author catch-phrases here--is that worse than mixing metaphors?)
Mort, unsurprisingly, makes a bit of a mess of things, and his attempts to fix it just make things worse. There's some interesting (and hilarious, of course--nobody missed the memo on that, right? Terry Pratchett = very, very funny unless otherwise indicated) theory about destiny and what happens when you mess with it, and also about the nature of history.
Mort's one of the earlier Discworld books, and it shows, because it's not nearly as complex as later ones, but it's got the serious bones overlaid with fantasy and humor that's common to the whole series.
It's also a very good introduction to the series, better, IMO, than the first, Rincewind books. It's short, uncomplicated, and doesn't draw on knowledge or events from previous books. And did I mention it's funny? I'm incapable of reading a Pratchett book if there's anyone within shouting distance without reading lines aloud to them. In lieu of copy-and-pasting some here for you, I'll just send you to the L-Space page: Mort Quotes. Pretend I'm reading them aloud to you. You're welcome.
*"YEC: Scenes with lots of emotion (from Bob's request that he not have to write the Yucky Emotional Crap)" --from http://www.jennycrusie.com/cherries.php
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Categories: Books, 5stars, Fantasy
Labels: 5 stars, books, fantasy
Friday, September 29, 2006
Friday's Mini Poll #2
***** Home by Starlight by Jerri Corgiat. Contemporary romance.
...more
Home by Starlight is the 4th in this series of romances set in small town Cordelia, Missouri, about the O'Malley clan.
You don't have to read the previous books in the series to enjoy this one, but they're not to be missed, either, and you might as well read them in order.
Patsy Lee O'Malley's husband died, leaving her with a pile of debt, three kids, and another on the way. His family, headed by the very loving and very forceful Zinnia, rode to their rescue, but she's been doing her best to stand on her own ever since.
Which is a little hard to do when she breaks her ankle.
In true O'Malley family fashion, a family meeting is held, and Zinnia and eldest daughter Lil decide what's to be done: they rope Zeke Townley into moving in with Patsy Lee to help out, Zeke being at loose ends anyway.
Zeke's the best friend and former bandmate of Lil's husband Jon, and since the band, er... disbanded, he's become more and more dissatisfied. He ended his long-term, but casual relationship with his sister's friend because he wanted more.
There's so much going on in this story, emotion-wise, but it's primarily about needs and expectations and independence. Everyone thinks they know what's wrong with Zeke and Patsy Lee, and everyone thinks they know what's best for them. Nobody, however, really bothers to ask them. So in the name of affection, Zinnia and Lil in particular, simply take charge and arrange things as they think best.
Zeke helping out at Patsy Lee's house is a very mixed blessing for them both. The proximity and getting to know each other better definitely increases their attraction, but neither believes the other is interested. Patsy Lee, used to doing everything on her own, sees every change Zeke makes as criticism, and her forced inactivity makes her even more irritable.
Hmmm. Better stop before I simply retell the whole story. Patsy Lee and Zeke are, in a nutshell, real. Their characters are complex, and their problems are the natural result of the combination of character and circumstance. I love how Zeke both supports and challenges Patsy Lee--my definition of a great relationship. And I love how each has something the other needs.
The children, well, I normally say children don't belong in romances, but these kids are realistic and an integral part of the story. They break my heart, particularly the older two, but they're great.
Mostly, I'm thrilled with an over-40 couple being portrayed so sympathetically and convincingly. It's so refreshing that, while Patsy Lee and Zeke are definitely grown-ups, they're not comfortably settled; they don't have all the answers; they're still learning and growing.
Categories: Books, 5stars, ContemporaryRomance
Labels: 5 stars, books, ContemporaryRomance
Thursday, September 28, 2006
- You've just finished the dishes. What do you do with the dishcloth?
- Wring it out and hang it over the faucet to dry.
- Leave it in the bottom of the sink.
- Squeeze it into a tight ball and place it neatly on the back of the sink to ferment.
- After a long run, what do you do with your stinky sweatsocks?
- Put them in the basket with the other sweatsocks and tighty-whities.
- Put them in the basket with the bras and lacy underthings.
- Stuff them inside your running shoes to wear on tomorrow's run.
- Unexpected company's coming in 15 minutes. What's the best use of your time?
- Clear off the 3 weeks' worth of crap on the dining table that's directly in front of the door.
- Vacuum the invisible dust from the rugs.
- Take the dog for a walk.
- Back to the dishes. There are 4 stacks of similar dishes in the cupboard: dinner plates, dessert plates, saucers, and soup plates. Where would you put a medium-sized plate?
- With the other plates the same size.
- On top of the counter because you don't know where it goes.
- On top of the soup plates.
- You notice you're low on shaving cream. What do you do?
- Look in the cupboard under the sink for the two cans you bought last week.
- Ask your spouse if there's any more shaving cream.
- Write shaving cream on the grocery list.
- How many food groups are there?
- Four to six, depending on when you went to school: bread, meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables, something like that.
- Two: meat and French fries. Oh, and maybe bread.
- There are some things called "veggies" that you have to eat a bite or two of to set a good example for the kids, but you can always fill up later on ice cream and cookies.
- Dishes again. You've got a stack of 4 frying pans of various sizes. What do you do with the smallest one?
- Set it on top.
- Set it on the counter top because you don't know where it goes, despite the fact that you're the one who got it out of the cupboard and the kitchen isn't very big.
- Remove the top two pans, making plenty of noise, put the small pan in and then replace the top two pans so that they fall out of the cupboard the next time someone opens it.
- How many shelves are in the refrigerator?
- Four shelves, three drawers.
- A few. Mostly, you can find something by asking your spouse where it is.
- One. It's right on top, and not very deep. The refrigerator is like the opposite of the Tardis, in that it's much smaller on the inside than the outside.
- You try on a T-shirt but decide not to wear it. What do you do with it?
- Fold it and put it back in the drawer.
- Leave it on top of your dresser--you'll wear it tomorrow.
- Put it in the hamper to be washed.
- How often do kids need to eat a balanced diet?
- As often as possible.
- Whenever your spouse nags about it. Complaining about it is a good way to bond with your kids.
- Only if they're fat, and since yours aren't, it's not an issue.
- Where does the vacuum cleaner belong?
- In the utility closet.
- The what?
- In the middle of the hallway. That way it's convenient when we need it.
- There are three pieces of paper on the sideboard in the entryway. Which one do you throw away?
- The junk mail ad for really ugly furniture.
- The receipt for a bill you paid 6 months ago.
- A form from your child's school that has to be turned in no later than tomorrow.
- There's a bowl of an unidentified substance* on the kitchen counter. What do you do with it?
- Ask your spouse what it is.
- Ignore it.
- Dump it in the compost.
Scoring: If you can't figure out the correct answers, go ask your mom.
Disclaimer: My husband and kids are very good at domestic issues, in general. All these minor irritations have, however, happened at one time or another.
*It was a sweet potato custard I'd spent 3 hours making, and it was cooling on the top of the stove. I'm sure I'll get over it. Eventually.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
- Ghost: songs
- Carmen: life list
- Caylynn: hobbies
- Ma: Hawaiian history
- Norma: food triggers
- Mar: unsweetened
- Kate: loves Leslie
- Shannon: banned books
- Laura: blog comments
- Cheysuli: annoying The Man
- Jenny Ryan: answers Nick Lachey
- Cat: anticipation
- Just Expressing Myself: annoyed
- Amy: vacation anticipation
- Tink: random
- Chelle Y: Bible verses
- Mommyba: depression
- You're next!
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Categories: ThursdayThirteen
Labels: TT
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
I found this Wednesday Mind Hump via Caylynn's Contemplations, and couldn't resist:
I did 14 boy push-ups (on the toes) followed by 28 girly ones (on the knees). I might've done more, but the rug I was doing them on kept sliding (yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses--I know). I suspect I'll be paying for it tomorrow, but still: go, me!
How'd you do?
Categories: AboutMe
Bonjour! It's time for another mind hump. Today is Family Health and Fitness Day. We're going to do something a little different today.
Get out of your computer chair, get on the floor (if your family is looking at you like you're crazy, you can go do this in another room if you like) and see how many push-ups you can do in one minute. When you're finished, tell us on your blog how many pushups you did.
I did 14 boy push-ups (on the toes) followed by 28 girly ones (on the knees). I might've done more, but the rug I was doing them on kept sliding (yeah, yeah, excuses, excuses--I know). I suspect I'll be paying for it tomorrow, but still: go, me!
How'd you do?
Categories: AboutMe
Labels: random memes
TBR Challenge for September
This month's challenge is to read a book by an author who shares at least one of your initials. Here's what I picked:
***½ The Death Prayer by David Bowker. Horror.
The Death Prayer is a police procedural wrapped up in a horror novel. Or vice versa. Detective Superintendent Vernon Laverne (his name drove me nuts, btw) is known on the force as an unorthodox cop with an uncanny ability to solve cases. So when bodies are found that have been killed in seemingly impossible ways, he's tasked with tracking down the killer. But to appease his opponents, he's paired with the more practical Inspector Lyn Savage, in a kind of Mulder/Scully partnership.
The trail leads them to a spooky faith healer, and to the surprising revelation of just why Laverne is so good at his job.
I've had this book in my TBR pile for several years. I'd bought it on someone's recommendation, though I've no idea whose. It's a hard book to pigeonhole. Very atmospheric, which is why I called it "horror." It could also be classed as urban fantasy, but I don't think it succeeds in that genre as well. I had to ignore everything I "knew" about urban fantasy to enjoy the read. For example, I was certain that the killer, and possibly Laverne as well, were vampires. (They're not.)
My overwhelming impression of the book is that it's a small story padded with a horror atmosphere into novel-length. The plot is fine, the characters intriguing, and the atmosphere of the book is very convincingly spooky, but I wanted more: more characterization, more danger, more suspense, more... something to make it unique. How many hundreds of stories have the same basic plot and character types? I wanted something more to make it stand out. Maybe, as I said, if I hadn't read as much urban fantasy already, or even as many mysteries, I'd have loved it. No doubt I'm jaded.
For someone who loves police procedurals and doesn't mind the supernatural, but doesn't read much of it, this book would probably be perfect. For me, it was just okay.
Categories: TBRChallenge, Books, 3.5stars, Horror
***½ The Death Prayer by David Bowker. Horror.
The Death Prayer is a police procedural wrapped up in a horror novel. Or vice versa. Detective Superintendent Vernon Laverne (his name drove me nuts, btw) is known on the force as an unorthodox cop with an uncanny ability to solve cases. So when bodies are found that have been killed in seemingly impossible ways, he's tasked with tracking down the killer. But to appease his opponents, he's paired with the more practical Inspector Lyn Savage, in a kind of Mulder/Scully partnership.
The trail leads them to a spooky faith healer, and to the surprising revelation of just why Laverne is so good at his job.
I've had this book in my TBR pile for several years. I'd bought it on someone's recommendation, though I've no idea whose. It's a hard book to pigeonhole. Very atmospheric, which is why I called it "horror." It could also be classed as urban fantasy, but I don't think it succeeds in that genre as well. I had to ignore everything I "knew" about urban fantasy to enjoy the read. For example, I was certain that the killer, and possibly Laverne as well, were vampires. (They're not.)
My overwhelming impression of the book is that it's a small story padded with a horror atmosphere into novel-length. The plot is fine, the characters intriguing, and the atmosphere of the book is very convincingly spooky, but I wanted more: more characterization, more danger, more suspense, more... something to make it unique. How many hundreds of stories have the same basic plot and character types? I wanted something more to make it stand out. Maybe, as I said, if I hadn't read as much urban fantasy already, or even as many mysteries, I'd have loved it. No doubt I'm jaded.
For someone who loves police procedurals and doesn't mind the supernatural, but doesn't read much of it, this book would probably be perfect. For me, it was just okay.
Categories: TBRChallenge, Books, 3.5stars, Horror
Labels: 3.5 stars, books, horror, tbr challenge
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
donut quiz
| You Are a Caramel Crunch Donut |
 You're a complex creature, and you're guilty of complicating things for fun. You've been known to sit around pondering the meaning of life... Or at times, pondering the meaning of your doughnut. To frost or not to frost? To fill or not to fill? These are your eternal questions. |
What Donut Are You?
Hmmm. I was skeptical of this quiz, because it doesn't seem to accept the fact that I might not like doughnuts at all. But the results don't sound half bad, and I might just nibble the caramel & crunch off the top of that doughnut.
Categories: AboutMe
Categories: AboutMe
Labels: quiz
Monday, September 25, 2006
***** Inner Harbor by Nora Roberts. Contemporary romance. Re-read.
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I always thought that Sea Swept was my favorite book in this trilogy, but on this re-read, it seems to be Inner Harbor instead.
This is Phillip and Sybill's story. There's also the end of the trilogy arc--we find out Seth's history and resolve things with his guardianship. Phillip is the advertising executive brother--the detail-oriented urbanite. Sybill is a PhD psychologist and author, and Seth's aunt, though she hides that fact at first.
Seth's mother Gloria has contacted her sister Sybill with a sob story about how the Quinns have stolen her son and how she needs money to pay a lawyer to get him back. Sybill wants to help, but she doesn't trust Gloria and wants to check out the situation for herself. Phillip is attracted to her, and when he finds out her identity... You might expect the usual romance-novel cliches here: self-righteous accusations and the complaint "why didn't you trust me?" It's much more real and emotionally intense than that.
I was struck by how impressive Nora's characterization was in this whole trilogy. All 3 brothers' personalities were definitely formed in their various childhoods. Even though they all had horrible childhoods, there were slight differences, and differences as well in how they dealt with them, and that's reflected in their adult personalities.
That prologue.... You know, I normally hate prologues--I don't think they're necessary, and they tend to distract from the story. But this one. Damn, it was well-written, and yeah, I think it was necessary. She could have fit in Phillip's past in bits & pieces with the present-day story, but it wouldn't have had the same impact. Everything he says and does and feels in the book relates back to what we learned in that prologue.
Sybill's character is likewise very well-written. I never had trouble warming up to Sybill--I liked her right off the bat. It's a minority opinion, though, I think, from comments I've heard in the past. She's intelligent, but that's the only place where she has any confidence--and that's also well-supported by her past. She lives too much in her own head, and tends to view life from a distance--a consequence of focusing her life on her academic career. She cares, and deeply, but has trained herself to discount emotions because that's not something she can quantify, and because she's "learned" that they're irrelevant.
One thing that really pushed Inner Harbor over the top for me is that the heroine in particular is not perfect. Perfection is something that a lot of romance heroines have in common, and that's why I like Sybill more than her new sisters-in-law, Anna and Grace. Sybill screws up really badly. And she's still redeemable. She's still deserving of an HEA. I love this.
I always like intensely emotional stories, as long as there's a positive payoff at the end. I hate crying, and if an author's going to make me cry without making it up to me later, I'm going to feel angry and betrayed. Inner Harbor had tears literally rolling down my face for several chapters. Part of that is likely because Sybill's character does hit pretty close to home for me. Which also explains why I like & understand her so well.
Categories: Books, 5stars, ContemporaryRomance
Labels: 5 stars, books, ContemporaryRomance
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Link of the Week #16
http://www.donorschoose.org/
This is one of my favorite charities, because I think education is so very important, and the classroom-level aid seems so much more personal than a big national organization (though I do realize both are needed).
Teachers send their wish lists to Donors Choose, and you can browse through the requests, and pick which one you'd most like to support. The Back to School Campaign is over at the end of the month, but the organization is there year-round.
Categories: LOTW
Labels: cool links
***½ Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn. Fantasy.
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This book took me four days to read. Four. I normally read a book or so a day. And it's not even all that long: 500-some pages. I don't mind slow, atmospheric reads on occasion, but it's likely that my impatience with the slow pace accounts for a half star or so.
Rohan was always a studious boy, and even those who knew him well were afraid what would happen when his father died and he became Prince. His aunt Andrade in particular, the head of the Sunrunners (magically talented people who can manipulate the rays of the sun & moon to various effects), plans to manipulate him, and starts by introducing him to a young Sunrunner woman, Sioned, with whom he falls in love.
The story starts out with great promise--Rohan showing that his years spent in books were not wasted, as he schemes and plots to ensure peace and prosperity for his people, and the intensity of the feelings between himself and Sioned and the pitfalls of their path to being together. I loved the scheming and cleverness, and I loved that others had schemes that countered his.
But then it falters. There's a story line about the dragons that's really shortchanged, and either 3 or 6 years (it wasn't particularly clear which) were just skipped, during which several key characters died in a devastating plague, with only a brief mention. It's the GSM, indeed.
Then the story picks up again, with Rohan and Sioned's quest for a child, an excellent, twisted scheme-ful and emotionally intense section.
If Dragon Prince had been a trilogy... If all three sections had been fleshed out, especially that middle section, and the first book ended with Sioned & Rohan conquering the odds to be together, the second with the full story of the plague and the importance of the dragons, and the third with the child plot and the final battles... I'd probably have given each one 5 stars. Maybe 4 for the middle one, which is weakest, unless it was punched up a lot.
But as it was, the exciting stuff--the schemes, and the emotional intensity--got buried in repetition and wordiness, when they weren't completely skipped over.
I said impatience accounted for a half star. Disappointment that it wasn't all I imagined it could have been accounted for another half star. I don't think I'll be looking for the next book in the series.
Categories: Books, 3.5stars, Fantasy
Labels: 3.5 stars, books, fantasy
Friday, September 22, 2006
Friday's Mini Poll
This poll's been closed. Here are the results:
Categories: Polls
Earlier this week was International Talk Like a Pirate Day.
How do you feel about pirates?
How do you feel about pirates?
| 1. | I AM a pirate. | ||
| 2. | Arrrr... | ||
| 3. | I love me some pirates, specially the damn sexy ones that'll ravish me. | ||
| 4. | Only if they're Johnny Depp. | ||
| 5. | Meh. Pirates. I can take them or leave them. | ||
| 6. | Is there any question? They're criminals! They should all be hanged. | ||
| 7. | They're bad, bad boys. They should be locked up...in my bedroom. | ||
| 8. | Huh? |
Categories: Polls
Labels: polls
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Just click on them to watch.
the list:
- Colors of autumn. Butterfly and sunflower.
- Bright and beautiful fall. Parachuting leaf! Whistling sun!
- Flash of autumn colors. A real flash.
- Autumn photos. By Jack Smith.
- Have a wonderful fall! Fall scene--collage.
- Fall celebration. And a cheesy sentiment.
- September days with all its magic. Poor grammar and weird squirrel eyes--what more could you want?
- Autumn photos. By Jack Smith. Yes, there are two different ones.
- Graceful autumn. Animated leaves.
- A jig to say happy autumn. Just what you'd think.
- Buried in leaves. Weird colors on this one.
- Hug to wish you happy autumn. Whoops. I mean to wish U happy autumn.
- Autumn. Attacking leaves!
Happy Fall!
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
Nathalie is self-medicating... with actors!- Introducing Caylynn
- What Carmen will be watching this fall
- Write from Karen's love-hate relationship with her blog
- Tink really likes Robbie Williams
- Shannon's got Britishisms
- How Ma makes those gorgeous flowers
- Colleen's letting it all hang out
- Candy Minx's favorite hometown movies
- Norma on health
- Knitting Maniac's desk
- What's on Ghost's TiVo
- Doug's doctor jokes
- Laura's questions
- It's (almost) Mar's blogiversary
- My Two Cents's dream home
- Kristarella lists phobias
- The important people in Mommyba's life
- About Darla--no, not me--there's another one!
- Jenny Ryan quotes Friends
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants
Categories: ThursdayThirteen
Labels: TT
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
**** Dark Celebration by Christine Feehan. Paranormal romance.
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I'm not really happy with calling this a romance, because it doesn't have a romance plot. But it's not not romance, either. So I'm going by Barnes & Noble, which says it's paranormal romance. Bah. All these genre definitions...
Dark Celebration is a Feehan fan's dream come true. It's like the ultra version of those epilogues in romance series that catch you up on the previous couples. The setup is that all the Carpathians are gathered in the Carpathian mountains for a Christmas celebration. Each chapter shows a different couple, and tying it all together is a suspense plot.
Anyone who's been reading the series knows that the Carpathian race is dying out--there are few women, even fewer pregnancies, and fewer yet successful ones. Even when a baby is born, it seldom lives long. They're starting to make headway on understanding and solving the problem, but it's a slow process.
So women and children are the race's weakness, and with them all gathered together like this, someone is targeting those women and children.
Besides the reintroduction of all the characters (I swear I must have missed a story or two somewhere because a couple of the characters were unfamiliar), there are lots of sex scenes, lots of funny scenes, a couple of fights, a couple of revelations, and a couple of lifemates are discovered.
It's very typical of the Dark series, both the good--the sensuality, humor, and suspense, and the bad--the uncomfortable dialogue. I wasn't too convinced by the Carpathian women's determination to cook a Christmas dinner by hand: Carpathians don't eat food, and could conjure it. I was going to complain about the sexism of the idea, but, well, this happens in real life, too. And it led to a lot of the funny parts.
My favorite parts of the book, though, were those dealing with the as-yet-unattached characters. Teenager Skyler is struggling with the prospect of having a lifemate in her future, Carpathian Manolito is tempted to give in to the dark side, and newly-turned Gabrielle may have to choose between desire and duty. There are hints of at least three future stories.
At the end is a collection of dessert recipes sent in by readers. Most of them made my teeth hurt just reading them, but a few looked interesting. And there are sections on the language and healing chants that I think I saw on the website.
Bottom line: if you're a fan of the series, it's a must-read. If you're not, you'll probably want to skip it.
Categories: Books, 4stars, ParanormalRomance
Labels: 4 stars, books, ParanormalRomance
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
pirate quiz & name
In honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day...
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Really, don't these just say it all?
Categories: AboutMe
...more
| Your Pirate Name Is... |
 |
Really, don't these just say it all?
Categories: AboutMe
Labels: quiz
Wow. How very appropriate! Why? Because the book I just finished...
****½ Only With Your Love by Lisa Kleypas. Historical romance.
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... is a PIRATE romance! I couldn't have planned it better if I'd known. In fact, I couldn't have planned it, because I didn't know. I didn't know until after I'd finished the book that today is Talk Like a Pirate Day. And I didn't know until I started reading it that Only With Your Love was a pirate book. There's a pirate god out there somewhere, isn't there?
Celia Vallerand is on her way to New Orleans with her new husband Philippe when their ship is attacked by pirates. More than that, they're just about to make love for the first time when the attack comes. Celia is taken by the pirate Legare to be a "treat" for his brother--whose women don't tend to live long.
Back ashore, as she's pleading for her life, she swears that the Vallerand family will ransom her. Hearing the name Vallerand prompts rival pirate captain Griffin to fight for her, then to rescue her.
I really can't go any further into the plot, because there are surprises around every turn, though it really wasn't hard to guess that ****spoiler****Captain Griffin was Philippe's twin brother****. The other surprises were more... er... surprising.
Suffice it to say that both Celia and Justin (Cpt. Griffin) find themselves in impossible situations, both emotionally and otherwise. Only With Your Love has the type of emotional impact I truly enjoy--when it seems that there's no good choice for the characters, and I can't guess how the author's going to manage to give them an honest HEA.
....
This book has been recently reissued--I got it new a year or two ago with the cover shown above. Interestingly, the Buy.com page has the old cover. It's an example of two extremes of romance cover art: the embarrassing clinch cover, and these dull-looking swans that have nothing to do with the story. Do covers that actually represent the story really sell fewer books? *sigh* I'll save my rant on that for another time. Or better yet, wander over to SmartBitches. Nobody does a better cover rant.
Categories: Books, 4.5stars, HistoricalRomance
Labels: 4.5 stars, books, cool links, HistoricalRomance
Monday, September 18, 2006
Theory #31: Readerly Theories: Real Boys
Okay, I've had it with the stereotyping. I'm tired of hearing how a "real man" would or would not do or say X, Y, or Z. And I'm baffled by this, because it seems to be the same women who bristle at any suggestion of female stereotyping who are the ones complaining the loudest.
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Is that where 100 years of women's lib has taken us? To women who can do anything, be anything, but men must fit in this teeny tiny little niche? Give me a freaking break.
Just in the past couple months or so, I've heard or read that a "real man" would not:
To be fair, it seems that most of these objections come from readers rather than writers, and it's a good thing, too, because I'd get pretty darn tired of reading about emotionally stunted grunting cavemen. Unless, y'know, it's their character arc, and they learn how to walk upright and speak in complete sentences by the end of the book. But that gets blasted as character violation. Because no man would do that.
There's a little concession that maybe some of these things would be done by "beta" heroes, but even betas aren't allowed to be too emotional or conversational or tidy.
A wise woman (I think it was Jennifer Crusie, but I'm not positive) said that it doesn't matter if something is true or not if the reader doesn't believe it's true. So maybe all these complaints are stemming, not from a perception that the stereotypes are true, but from poor characterization. I think that's part of it, but it's not the whole story.
Why do readers expect an author to explain a hero's deviation from the stereotype? Is it really that true? I have to admit that there have been a couple heroes that made me think "a guy just wouldn't talk like that." Does that mean I'm buying into the stereotype too? Or are there some universal male traits that 90% of men have? I suspect that there are some basic male/female differences, but don't try to tell me it's males = logic & competition and females = emotion and conversation, because I'm not going to buy it.
Regardless, here's a news flash: men are just as individual as women. Maybe some men don't talk and wouldn't know an emotion if it smacked them in the face, but other men do, and it doesn't mean they're effeminate. And maybe refusing to date men who have clean apartments because they're obviously either gay or they have a girlfriend who cleans for them is just ensuring that you'll never see the difference.
Categories: Theories, Reading
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Is that where 100 years of women's lib has taken us? To women who can do anything, be anything, but men must fit in this teeny tiny little niche? Give me a freaking break.
Just in the past couple months or so, I've heard or read that a "real man" would not:
- talk about emotions
- think about emotions
- set up a romantic evening
- light candles
- keep an apartment clean
- decorate an apartment with something besides beer signs and Playboy centerfolds
- act "tenderly"
- cook
- do dishes by hand
- purchase clothing other than lingerie for a woman, and never in the correct size
- be faithful to a girlfriend or wife
To be fair, it seems that most of these objections come from readers rather than writers, and it's a good thing, too, because I'd get pretty darn tired of reading about emotionally stunted grunting cavemen. Unless, y'know, it's their character arc, and they learn how to walk upright and speak in complete sentences by the end of the book. But that gets blasted as character violation. Because no man would do that.
There's a little concession that maybe some of these things would be done by "beta" heroes, but even betas aren't allowed to be too emotional or conversational or tidy.
A wise woman (I think it was Jennifer Crusie, but I'm not positive) said that it doesn't matter if something is true or not if the reader doesn't believe it's true. So maybe all these complaints are stemming, not from a perception that the stereotypes are true, but from poor characterization. I think that's part of it, but it's not the whole story.
Why do readers expect an author to explain a hero's deviation from the stereotype? Is it really that true? I have to admit that there have been a couple heroes that made me think "a guy just wouldn't talk like that." Does that mean I'm buying into the stereotype too? Or are there some universal male traits that 90% of men have? I suspect that there are some basic male/female differences, but don't try to tell me it's males = logic & competition and females = emotion and conversation, because I'm not going to buy it.
Regardless, here's a news flash: men are just as individual as women. Maybe some men don't talk and wouldn't know an emotion if it smacked them in the face, but other men do, and it doesn't mean they're effeminate. And maybe refusing to date men who have clean apartments because they're obviously either gay or they have a girlfriend who cleans for them is just ensuring that you'll never see the difference.
Categories: Theories, Reading
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Link of the Week #15
Now if I could just remember some of them the next time I'm annoyed.
Categories: LOTW
Labels: cool links
Captive Dreams. Paranormal erotic romance.
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Oh, boy. This book grabbed me from page 1. I love, love, love the premise: sisters Celeste and Corinne are writers--Corinne writes paranormal romance, and Celeste writes science fiction. Two characters, one from each of their series, get together to bring Celeste and Corinne into their fictional worlds, and they're after revenge. If you've read Angela Knight &/or Diane Whiteside before, you won't be surprised to discover that said revenge takes a decidedly sexual bent.
****½ "Bound by the Dragon" by Diane Whiteside.
This is Corinne's story. Mykhayl has been an ongoing character in her fantasy romance series, and she's found HEAs for all his siblings, but hasn't been able to imagine the perfect woman for him. She's also rendered him sterile to prevent any accidental pregnancies and he's really not happy about that.
Unfortunately, the fate of the entire kingdom hangs on Mykhayl producing an heir. Corinne, as a sorceress in this world, may have the power to cure his sterility, but getting him to trust a sorceress, after what she put him through with the Gray Sorceress, may be even more difficult. And meanwhile, Corinne is worrying about Celeste.
***** "Bound by the Dream" by Angela Knight.
Celeste's story. This one's a little darker. Celeste is divorced from an abusive husband who liked to tie her up, so the bondage Jarred, the hero from her science fiction series, puts her through is more difficult for her. And Jarred is not inclined to go easy on her, because she killed his best friend, and if that's not bad enough, in the last conversation he overheard between the sisters, Celeste was discussing how to kill him off.
Jarred's plan is to tame Celeste, to train her as a sexsub, then give her to his friend, the alien slaver De'Lar. He didn't plan on falling for her, and he fights it every inch of the way. There's a nice twist at the end.
The two stories are linked by a common prologue and epilogue, and by the explicit and very steamy sex scenes. (Where can I get one of those racks from "Bound by the Dream"?!) Both authors are skilled at writing sex scenes--there was no awkwardness or coyness to them, and they actually advanced the plots. Most tellingly, for me, anyway: I wasn't tempted to skim them.
I've probably given each story an extra half star because I enjoyed the premise so much, but then my ratings are all about how much I enjoyed the stories, not anything objective, so I'm okay with that.
Categories: Books, 4.5stars, 5stars, EroticRomance
Labels: 4.5 stars, 5 stars, books, EroticRomance
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Theory #30: Relationships: Compromise
We had a discussion on an email list a few days ago about what makes a relationship successful, and one of the factors mentioned was compromise.
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In previous discussions, "compromise" has gotten a bad name. It seems that a lot of people who are either single or in unhappy relationships view compromise as never getting what you want/need, that even if it is mutual, it means that whenever you really want something, you're going to have to settle for only part of it.
Maybe it's just semantics, or a skewed view of relationships, and I think it's true that people in relationships do need to learn to really compromise rather than having a continual battle with a winner and a loser. However, there are still some who view even true compromise as losing. As if giving in even a little is relinquishing part of their independence and personhood.
I'm not going to go into the psychological implications--I'm not qualified, nor do I want to explore it that deeply. I am well aware that it's not a simple, one-solution problem. However, one thing seems to stand out to me, and it's about how people look at things.
For example, last weekend, Carl wanted to go out and I wanted to stay home. We compromised by having one of our wine & cheese evenings upstairs. This weekend, we're going out. It wasn't an all-or-nothing decision. We've been together long enough to know that it will balance in the long run.
But that takes time and practice. Particularly in a new relationship, or one that's having other problems, even compromising on what to do on the weekend becomes a power struggle. Part of adjusting to a new relationship is finding the balance between your old single self and the new self that's part of a couple. Compromise takes on the meaning of giving up your single self, and it's only natural to rebel against that.
In that case, don't consider it compromise. Instead, consider it as a choice, an alternative, as wanting the relationship more than you want your life to go on exactly as it was before.
Looking at it logically, ask yourself if you really want to be in the relationship. If you do, then you really can't expect your life to be identical to what it was when you were single, with just the addition of regular sex. That's not going to happen, unless your relationship is with a blow-up doll. If you want a relationship with a real person, an individual with their own wants and needs, your life is going to change. And you're going to have to do things to make it work.
So when a conflict comes up, you have to decide if this is the one where you draw the line in the sand, or if you can give a little.
Categories: Theories, Relationships
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In previous discussions, "compromise" has gotten a bad name. It seems that a lot of people who are either single or in unhappy relationships view compromise as never getting what you want/need, that even if it is mutual, it means that whenever you really want something, you're going to have to settle for only part of it.
Maybe it's just semantics, or a skewed view of relationships, and I think it's true that people in relationships do need to learn to really compromise rather than having a continual battle with a winner and a loser. However, there are still some who view even true compromise as losing. As if giving in even a little is relinquishing part of their independence and personhood.
I'm not going to go into the psychological implications--I'm not qualified, nor do I want to explore it that deeply. I am well aware that it's not a simple, one-solution problem. However, one thing seems to stand out to me, and it's about how people look at things.
For example, last weekend, Carl wanted to go out and I wanted to stay home. We compromised by having one of our wine & cheese evenings upstairs. This weekend, we're going out. It wasn't an all-or-nothing decision. We've been together long enough to know that it will balance in the long run.
But that takes time and practice. Particularly in a new relationship, or one that's having other problems, even compromising on what to do on the weekend becomes a power struggle. Part of adjusting to a new relationship is finding the balance between your old single self and the new self that's part of a couple. Compromise takes on the meaning of giving up your single self, and it's only natural to rebel against that.
In that case, don't consider it compromise. Instead, consider it as a choice, an alternative, as wanting the relationship more than you want your life to go on exactly as it was before.
Looking at it logically, ask yourself if you really want to be in the relationship. If you do, then you really can't expect your life to be identical to what it was when you were single, with just the addition of regular sex. That's not going to happen, unless your relationship is with a blow-up doll. If you want a relationship with a real person, an individual with their own wants and needs, your life is going to change. And you're going to have to do things to make it work.
So when a conflict comes up, you have to decide if this is the one where you draw the line in the sand, or if you can give a little.
Categories: Theories, Relationships
Labels: relationships, theories
Friday, September 15, 2006
**** Improper English by Katie MacAlister. Contemporary romance.
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If I'm not mistaken, this is Katie's first contemporary. It's not quite as solid as her more recent ones, but she definitely already had the "voice" down and an amazing gift for humor.
Alix is a young woman at a crossroads. She's failed at marriage, failed at every job she's tried, definitely failed to win her mother's approval or respect. So now she's decided to become a novelist. Her mother has paid her rent for 2 months in an apartment in London, on the condition that she write--and finish--a book. If she does, her mother will support her for a year to get herself established. If she doesn't, well, her grandmother (grandfather? I'm fuzzy on this--it's only mentioned once) needs tending.
She's determined to make it work, but she's insecure about it, so she asks everyone--and I mean everyone--their opinion on her chapters. Most of the chapters in Improper English begin with a snippet of what she's currently writing, and it's mostly hilariously bad. The opinions she gets don't help any, either.
Complicating matters, Alix's landlady Isabella wants to set her up with "the perfect man," Karl, but Alix instead has major sparks going with her neighbor, Scotland Yard inspector Alex. (There's a cute, understated exchange regarding their similar names, then the subject is dropped.)
Alix is a combination of bravado and insecurity, and has a habit, as do many of MacAlister's heroines, of blurting out whatever pops into her mind. Alex, on the other hand, is serious and staid. They bring out the best in each other, but Alix's insecurities make her jump to conclusions and keep her from getting too close.
Humor is definitely MacAlister's strong suit, and I started laughing aloud on the first page, and chapter 3 had me laughing until I cried. There were a couple of things that didn't quite work--Isabella's habit of getting names wrong, for example: it didn't go anywhere. More could also have been made of Alix/Alex, though I did love the one time it was addressed. But... see above, re: "first contemp." I'm not going to complain too much.
Alix was a nicely complex heroine. She did grate on me once or twice, with her insistence that they had to break up, and most particularly when she was angry that Alex didn't put her ahead of his job (he had a valid reason not to at the time). However, it was realistic, and fit with her character, and I loved how her character grew and developed throughout the course of the book.
Alex wasn't quite as well developed, but then, this was Alix's story.
Another theme that pops up in MacAlister's work is the displaced heroine. I've never been to England (yeah, I know. and yeah, I've seen the Ryan Air prices.), but I've lived for 12 years in a country where I'm not a native, and Alix's situation did resonate with me quite a lot. She manages the contrasts between American and Brit with a lot of humor and honesty, and (though I'd like to hear from someone from England about this to see if it's just my impression) without insulting either side.
Bottom line: A fast, funny, feel-good read. There's a reason Katie Mac's on my must-buy list.
Categories: Books, 4stars, ContemporaryRomance
Labels: 4 stars, books, ContemporaryRomance
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Once upon a time, I was a 91S in the army, and I made a lovely collection of these things. So I thought I'd share. You're welcome.
the bugs:
Centipede. From the class Chiropoda. Okay, I'm starting with a lie, but they're just so cool-looking. The only medical significance of centipedes is that their bite can be painful. Unless you've an allergy to their venom, it's mostly just ouchy rather than dangerous.
Cockroach. Class Insecta, order Blattaria. Ugly suckers. They're implicated in allergic reactions that are linked to asthma.
Lice. Head lice (Pediculus capitis), body lice (Pediculus humanus), and pubic lice (Pthirus pubis). The one shown is a pubic louse. They're mainly medically significant due to secondary infections that arise because of the irritation--broken skin from scratching, but they can also spread Epidemic Typhus.
Kissing bugs. Class Insecta, order Hemiptera, family Reduviidae. Despite the friendly-sounding name, these aren't friendly. They feed off blood, usually biting around the lips--hence the name. They're vectors of Chagas' disease.
Fleas. In particular, the rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis, but regular dog and cat fleas (Ctenocephalides canis & C. felis respectively) can do the job also. They're most commonly known for spreading Plague, but also spread Murine Typhus.
Mosquitoes. Irritating, yes, but they're arguably the most dangerous animals in the world. There are several types, but we focused on the genuses (geni? my Latin sucks) Aedes, Anopheles, and Culex. They spread malaria, heartworm, dengue fever, yellow fever, and various forms of encephalitis including West Nile Virus.
Black flies. Specifically, those from the family Simuliidae. They transmit Onchocerciasis, or River Blindness.
Tsetse fly. From the family Glossinidae. Everybody knows these. They transmit sleeping sickness.
Sandfly. From the family Psychodidae. These are most well-known for transmitting Leishmaniasis, but they're also vectors for Oroya Fever, Sandfly fever, & Toscana virus.- Spiders. These were the only things we collected that were dangerous in and of themselves instead of just being carriers. We collected two:
Black Widow spider, of the genus Latrodectus, as an example of a spider with neurotoxic venom, and
Brown Recluse spider, Loxosceles reclusa, as an example of a spider with necrotoxic venom. 
Scorpion. From the order Scorpionida. Most aren't harmful to humans, but a couple, including the fat tailed scorpion (Androctonus australis) pictured here, are venomous enough to be a danger.
Mites. Obviously, we didn't collect any of these, but they're still medically significant arthropods. Parasitic mites (Sarcoptes or Acarus scabiei) cause scabies, and the dust mites (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) are related to asthma.
Ticks. There are a variety of these, from the superfamily Ixodoidea. Bloodsuckers, after mosquitoes they're the most common vectors of human diseases. Everyone's heard of Lyme disease; they also transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Relapsing Fever, and Tularemia.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
- Just how musical is Carmen?
- What's baffling Norma?
- How many zingers can Raggedy come up with?
- How does Ma know she's in Hawaii?
- Will Zeus's ministrations help his sick human?
- Why can't Jersey Girl wait to go to WDW?
- Does Doug know any other interesting docs?
- Why should you vote for Kate?
- If Cheysuli comes for dinner, what should you serve?
- What does Caylynn love about Munich?
- How can CandyMinx save the world?
- What's Brony making out of life's lemons?
The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
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Categories: ThursdayThirteen
Labels: TT
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
***** Judgment in Death by J. D. Robb. Futuristic romantic suspense. Re-read.
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Yeah, I'm getting a little concerned about having three 5-star books in a row, too. I thought a long while about it for this one, but I think it deserves 5 stars.
First of all, it's one of the more intense stories in the series. It's also one of the best ones, in that the... (trying out the vocabulary I've been learning from the Cherries)... external plot echoes the internal one. Or vice versa. About loyalty to the badge and what someone will do to protect it, and about Eve & Roarke's loyalty to each other and what they'll do to protect each other & their marriage. Too bad the title Loyalty in Death had already been used, but it's also about making judgments based on that loyalty.
Someone is killing cops. Specifically, cops who are (or appear to be) on the take. The first victim is brutally murdered in one of Roarke's clubs, making Roarke involved from the beginning. Some of the threads lead to criminal kingpin Max Ricker, a very dangerous man with old ties to Roarke. Which leads to the first blow to Eve and Roarke.
Then Webster from Internal Affairs shows up to warn Eve away from her investigation... and makes a move on her, which Roarke objects to, violently. The second blow.
The mystery is intensely emotional, as are the developments in the ongoing series story. There are some wonderful scenes, the establishment of a nemesis in Ricker, and a villain painted in shades of gray.
My only complaints are that Ricker himself is a bit two-dimensional, and general complaints about the futuristic details (frex: I can't believe that in just over 50 years, there'll be holo-rooms that allow people to swim in a non-existent ocean without using any special gear). But the rest of the story so far overshadows those things that I can't bring myself to care too much about them.
Categories: Books, 5stars, RomanticSuspense
Labels: 5 stars, books, RomanticSuspense
***** Another Scandal in Bohemia by Carole Nelson Douglas. Mystery. Re-read (was Irene's Last Waltz).
I know I've read this one before, but I honestly didn't remember anything about it. It's been a long time, and there've been a lot of books in the interim.
This is the 4th book in the Irene Adler series, based on the character from the Sherlock Holmes story "A Scandal in Bohemia." Irene, her husband Godfrey, and friend Nell are bored in Paris after their last case. Exiled from England and Irene from the stage because of their "deaths," they're unable to pursue their normal occupations, and Irene turns to shopping, getting a much-coveted appointment with the House of Worth, where she and Nell have three startling experiences: 1) Charles Worth himself asks Irene to be a living advertisement for his gowns; 2) the Queen of Bohemia, Irene's erstwhile rival, confides that her husband of several months has yet to visit her bed, and asks for help; 3) a bead-girl is found murdered in the Worth dress factory.
Godfrey, meanwhile, has had a request of his own, for the three of them to visit Baron Alphonse de Rothschild, the international financier, who offers each one of them the perfect price to return to Bohemia and spy for him.
Of course, when Irene and Nell left Bohemia, it was in fear for their lives, so the expedition is not without risk.
There's international intrigue, fashion, romantic entanglement, the supernatural in the form of the Golem (which made me think of Pratchett) that's reportedly menacing Prague, the position of Jews and working women in late 19th-century Europe, and an overlap with a Holmes case, which for the life of me I can't identify, and which may not actually exist.
It's complex and filled with realism, and the characters just grab me. Nell's relative innocence, honesty, and narrow-mindedness contrast well with Irene's worldliness and other-worldliness, and Godfrey's sincerity and pragmatism.
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Categories: Books, 5stars, Mystery
Labels: 5 stars, books, mystery
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
A Regency Christmas IV anthology. Regency romance.
- *** "The Christmas Tart" by Mary Jo Putney. re-read.
I've actually read this one 3 times, not really intentionally, and it hasn't improved on the re-reads. (Some stories do.)
A young seamstress is erroneously accused of theft and turned out of the household that had employed her--the wicked employer keeping her savings, assuming they were the profit from her theft. Homeless and penniless, she's mistaken for a prostitute by the hero's friends who "give" her to him as a gift. It's Cinderella and Pretty Woman set in the Regency period, and I didn't quite buy that they actually fell in love.
- *** "A Seasonal Stratagem" by Sandra Heath.
This story's plot is a romance standard: the rakish hero makes a bet that he can seduce (in this case, just get a kiss from) the virtuous heroine; he succeeds, but not before he's lost his heart. But then she finds out about the wager, feels betrayed, and he has to work to convince her he's serious. This isn't a bad story--it's just that there's nothing special about it, either.
- ****½ "The Porcelain Madonna" by Mary Balogh.
Wow. Now this story made the whole volume worthwhile... and I'm not a fan, or even a regular reader of Ms. Balogh--she seems to turn up in anthologies I read pretty regularly, but I don't believe I've ever read one of her single titles. Maybe I should reconsider that.
Anyway. This story grabbed me from the beginning. The hero is self-deprecatingly cynical about Christmas, and we first see him as the shabbily-dressed heroine is admiring the procelain madonna of the title in a shop window. A young boy tries to pick her pocket, and the hero comes to the rescue. The whole story is about his cynicism clashing with her optimism, made poignant by his desperate desire for hope.
I think, if it had been written differently, this story could have been too schmaltzy, but since we get his POV with his self-deprecating remarks, and get a very clear view of his character from the beginning, it's instead funny and warm-hearted.
- *½ "Christmas Rose" by Marjorie Farrell.
Speaking of the writing making the difference... this story has the opposite effect.
The hero and heroine have been married for 5 years, and have drifted apart because they've been unable to conceive a child. When he comes home "fizzy" one night and sees a woman leaving a baby in a basket on an absent neighbor's doorstep, he convinces her to move the baby to his. The baby brings him and his wife together, until a servant's comment makes the wife believe it's her husband's bastard.
It could have also been a poignant story, but it was told from such a distant POV that I never connected to either of the characters. Even worse, what I did learn about them made me dislike them.
- ** "The Best Gift of All" by Emma Lange.
*sigh* I really, really, couldn't like this hero who brings his mistress (and his mistress's husband) home with him for Christmas. And I couldn't rejoice with the heroine that the husband she loved decided she wasn't so bad after all.
This is more a case of genre confusion than anything else, I think. It was, admittedly, entirely realistic that a Regency-era aristocratic husband would have a mistress and ignore his cit wife. I just couldn't stomach it as a romance.
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Categories: Books, 1.5stars, 2stars, 3stars, 4.5stars, HistoricalRomance
Labels: 1.5 stars, 2 stars, 3 stars, 4.5 stars, books, HistoricalRomance
