Friday, May 30, 2008
Friday Flashback
From April 2002:
Fantasy
You can read the entire thread, including comments from the authors, here.
Categories: Flashback, Books, ContemporaryRomance, ParanormalRomance
Fantasy
- "The Widow's Auction" by Sabrina Jeffries. Contemporary romance.
The fantasy in this one? Anonymity. Without it, 'Bella' would never have been able to be so uninhibited. So, did she actually realize Justin knew who she was, but didn't admit it to herself? I so enjoyed watching him go from being determined to save her from herself---just give her a little scare ---to falling in love & not wanting to let her go.
The description of her married sex life was so sad. I liked how her goals at the beginning of the story changed, and how Justin fit in with those new goals.
Just a lovely story. I'll be looking for more by Sabrina Jeffries---I wish I'd found her books sooner!- "Luisa's Desire" by Emma Holly. Paranormal romance.
1600 Tibet?! One thing I've learned is Emma Holly is not predictable. Except that she will have very erotic stories about characters that you can really care about. I recommend her books whenever the conversation turns to "hot" stories. Okay, I'm going to gush here just a tad, because I missed the chat earlier this month & didn't get to gush then. I've never been disappointed, & I've never felt that the story or the characters were sacrificed to the sex scenes, or vice versa. This is just an incredibly talented author, & I'm delighted to see her stories in the mainstream.
Okay, gush done.
The fantasy in this one was vampires. And Eastern mysticism. What a combination. I loved watching Martin's desire to continue on his path to spiritual enlightenment war with his desire to help Luisa, & later on his love for her. Both of them were seeking a selfless life, but they ended up finding joy in each other.- "Mr. Speedy" by Elda Minger. Contemporary romance.
I had to laugh aloud when I read the title to this story. I had a completely different idea of what "Mr. Speedy" might refer to.
The fantasy in this one is masquerading as a man, and oh, is that tempting! Wouldn't it be nice to be on the inside & know what they're really thinking?! This was just a fun, fun story. I held my breath at Miranda's slip-ups, then laughed aloud when she didn't get caught. I thought that was fairly realistic, btw---people tend to see what they expect to see, & I'm sure if anyone had suspected she was a woman, they'd have recognized it without much difficulty. But since they expected a man, that's what they saw. Jake's protecting him/her as a little brother was so sweet. And I loved the comeuppance Anton Levine got at the end.
And I can't believe that with over 20 romance novels out there, I haven't run across Elda Minger before. I've obviously been missing out. Not for long, though.- "The Awakening" by Christine Feehan. Paranormal romance.
The thing I absolutely about Christine Feehan's books is the way she uses words. The descriptions of the rain forest are as lush as the rain forest as well, & I swear the pages felt damp & I could smell the forest smells as I read. I've told her this before, so I don't have to gush now. (yeah, I know, it's too late.)
The fantasy here was shapeshifters. And soul mates. Such a vivid portrayal of a woman who's a shapeshifter but doesn't realize it starting to feel her animal side. There's the increased acuity of the senses, the joy in being wild & free & home, and the fear & shame when her human side doesn't understand what is happening to her. I enjoyed that Brandt didn't push her into accepting that she was his fated mate, and that he was willing to live in the city with her if that's what she wanted. And I liked that she helped save him from James.
I'm very curious to know if we'll see this world again. It seems there are at least 3 more shapeshifters with stories to be told, & probably more--those who have moved out of the forest. Sounds like another wonderful series to me.
You can read the entire thread, including comments from the authors, here.
Categories: Flashback, Books, ContemporaryRomance, ParanormalRomance
Labels: books, ContemporaryRomance, flashback, ParanormalRomance
Thursday, May 29, 2008
TT #101
We finally got orders!
We have only one month to move. And that month also includes Curran's birthday, his graduation, and Father's Day.
We drove to Heidelberg yesterday to check out housing and the middle school. The housing lady called us back this morning and said there's a house available and we can move in July 1st.
It's still not 100%. There's still the possibility of getting an exemption to policy to live off-post. The rest of the list is pros & cons of living on-post.
Carl would be in a military environment 24/7--instead of just being Herr Stokes to the neighbors, he'd still be Col. Stokes.
We drove through the senior officer housing area on PHV (Patrick Henry Village), and it looks very nice--single-family houses, lots of trees.
The gates to get on and off post are a real PIA.
The middle school Camden will be attending is on PHV.
It's also on the other end of post from the senior officers' housing, about 1.5 miles away--a little too far to walk every morning, and I don't think there's a bus.
Living on-post means no utility bills, and no worries about picky landlords.
PHV is kind of isolated, and there aren't any German stores or restaurants close by.
There are lots of kids on post, and it'll be easy for Camden to make and visit friends.
Every time Carl's mom and brother (and even Dagny!) visit, they'll have to be signed in on post and their cars searched.
PHV is close to the Autobahn, so it's easy to get places.
The chances are actually pretty good that we will be on post--first, we only have one month, and househunting is time-consuming. The housing lady emailed us floor plans, and the houses are about 2/3 larger than the house we're currently living in, and apparently have basements, which would be nice.
I keep coming up with more pros and cons, but I'm stopping here--otherwise, I'll never get this posted!
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
- Ann
- On a Limb with Claudia
- PussReboots
- Kay
- LA Day
- Julia
- Brenda ND
- Julia Smith
- Melody
- Heather
- Jennifer McKenzie
- KC
- Lori
- Winter
- Tink
- Marcia
- Robin
- Susan Helene Gottfried
- 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, AboutMe
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Strangers in Death
***** Strangers in Death by J. D. Robb. Mystery.
This is the... oh, heck. I don't know. 30-somethingth book in the In Death series about New York homicide lieutenant Eve Dallas in the year 2060.
This case is about Thomas Anders, dead in what looks like kinky sex games gone awry, but it doesn't quite add up for Eve, and the evidence shows he was indeed murdered. Tradition, and Eve's gut, say to look to his wife, but she has an unshakable alibi.
The trouble is, suspects are hard to find: Thomas Anders was well-liked, and he doesn't seem to have any skeletons in his closet. All the media attention is increasing the pressure on Eve to solve the case quickly, as is the fact that the widow is friends with the police chief's wife.
As in Witness in Death, Nora pays homage to an old movie--I won't say which one because it'll give away whodunit. Far from spoiling the story, however, it adds to it, seeing a new take on an old plot.
The mystery case is never the only part of an In Death story, and this one is no exception. There's a lovely plot thread about further developments in Eve and Roarke's relationship that rang very true--and familiar!-- to me. This is, for me, where this series really shines: the story doesn't end at the altar, and we see a nice depiction of the development of a relationship within a marriage.
In addition, there's also a sweet thread about a surprising major development in the lives of some of the secondary characters.
I have one quibble with a lot of the reviews I read of this one: many of them say that Eve knows whodunit right away and that the mystery is "howdunit." I disagree. She didn't know; she suspected. And trying to figure out how was merely applying Sherlock Holmes's maxim: "When you've eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth."
All in all, an excellent entry in a favorite series.
Categories: Books, 5stars, Mystery
Labels: 5 stars, books, mystery
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
The Longshot
**** The Longshot. Comedy.
Directed by: Paul Bartel
Starring: Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Jack Weston, Ted Wass
Watched the second half of this DVD with the boys--we'd watched They Went That-a-Way & That-a-Way several months ago.
A group of four buddies (Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Jack Weston, and Ted Wass), losers, but not bad guys, get a tip on a sure thing at the track--a longshot that's guaranteed to pay off big. The only problem is that they don't have the money to bet big enough to make it worth the while of the guy who's promised to fix the race for them. So they go to the local mob boss for a loan.
Which succeeds about as well as Tim Conway's character trying to seduce the money out of a rich dame. That is to say, not at all.
It's a comedy of errors, and boy, do these guys make a lot of them. This is a low-key sort of comedy, but the four are such genial losers you can't help but like them even while you know they're going to screw up.
The boys enjoyed it, too--in fact, Camden came in while I was looking at the YouTube video and said "oh, The Longshot! That was a good movie." Proof that it doesn't have to be all about slick special effects and frantic action.
...more
Categories: Movies, 4stars, Comedy
Labels: 4 stars, comedy, Movies
Beyond the Dark
Beyond the Dark. Paranormal erotic romance.
- ***** "Dragon Dance" by Angela Knight
Police Sergeant Arial Dean, the department's top hostage negotiator, is working a domestic hostage situation when it suddenly gets much worse: the perpetrator turns out to be a new Hyper, and they have to call in and FBI Hyper called Tracker to deal with him. Hypers are people infected with... something.... that gives them one of a variety of supernatural powers. When they first become Hypers, they're extremely violent until they learn to control their powers.
Tracker is able to subdue the man, but in the struggle, Arial becomes infected herself, and Tracker spirits her away to help her through the initial phases. Only to find that there's a Hyper out there controlling other Hypers and Tracker is a major target.
This is a new world for Angela Knight, and I hope she sets more stories in it. There's a great balance between interesting worldbuilding, the emotional dilemma of a woman finding her life irrevocably changed, an incredibly steamy romance as Arial and Tracker discover each other, and the excitement of finding and fighting a supervillain. And if that's not enough, there's a wonderful twist at the end. - ****½ "Caught by the Tides" by Diane Whiteside
Emma Sinclair is a young widow who rescues the shipwrecked Owen Bentham, a King's Mage on a mission to return to England with the counter to a spell that Napoleon's mages can use to invade. Emma nurses him back to health using magic spells. She'd learned the spells years ago, but they'd never worked well. Now, however, they're working fine.
Turns out Emma is a Chalice--someone who amplifies a mage's power. Now Emma has to deal with her newfound power, her growing feelings for Owen, and the fact that her neighbor reveals himself to be an enemy mage who wants to kill Owen and use her as his Chalice. For his part, Owen is torn between protecting Emma and completing his mission.
Another new world here--the time of Napoleon, with magic. And again, it's well-developed and interesting. I could have used a little more romance between Emma and Owen, but it's still a wonderful story as is. - ****½ "Queen of All She Surveys" by Emma Holly
In the ongoing war between King Ravna and Queen Tou, the queen's army has won a major battle. So King Ravna sends his son Prince Memnon in exchange for the soldiers who'd been taken captive.
Memnon discovers that Queen Tou isn't quite what he'd expected, and that his father had betrayed him. The story is complicated by taking place in the Yama universe, and both Memnon and Tou have virtually inexhaustible sexual needs--she keeps a plethora of men to keep herself barely satisfied, while Memnon has developed incredible control.
Between the steam and the political intrigue, this was definitely a story I didn't want to put down. - ***½ "In a Wolf's Embrace" by Lora Leigh
Matthias Slaughter is a Wolf Breed and an assassin. He's been sent to kill one of the evil scientists who'd created and tortured the Breeds. And he does. The only problem is that there's a witness: Grace Anderson. Matthias should eliminate her, too, as a liability, but the problem with that is that he's recognized her as his mate.
It was an entertaining story, and I liked the premise, but Grace got on my nerves. Too much "I love him but he killed someone so I have to turn him in." Even after explanations. And unfortunately, a lot of Matthias's arguments take the form of "come on, you know you want me," as if sexual desire is the same as a logical argument.
Categories: Books, ParanormalRomance, 5stars, 4.5stars, 3.5stars
Labels: 3.5 stars, 4.5 stars, 5 stars, books, ParanormalRomance
age quiz
I borrowed this from Kathrin at Crazy Cozy Murders:
Heh. I'm not going to argue here. Not even a little.
Categories: quiz
You Act Like You Are 29 Years Old |
 You are a twentysomething at heart. You feel like an adult, and you're optimistic about life. You feel excited about what's to come... love, work, and new experiences. You're still figuring out your place in the world and how you want your life to shape up. The world is full of possibilities, and you can't wait to explore many of them. |
Heh. I'm not going to argue here. Not even a little.
Categories: quiz
Labels: quiz
Monday, May 26, 2008
Love in the Afternoon
***½ Love in the Afternoon. Romantic comedy.
Directed by: Billy Wilder.
Starring: Gary Cooper, Audrey Hepburn, Maurice Chevalier
We got this from Netflix, part of my quest to watch classics I'd never seen before.
Ariane (Audrey Hepburn) is the daughter of a private detective (Maurice Chevalier) in Paris. The detective has just provided evidence of a woman's infidelity with notorious womanizer Frank Flannagan (Gary Cooper). The man declares his intention to murder Flannagan; Ariane overhears and rushes off to Flannagan's hotel to warn him.
Like a lot of young women, Ariane is enthralled by Frank Flannagan's notoriety, and sets about to snare him for herself. She's cleverer than average, though, and plays it exactly right by setting herself up as simultaneously desirable and emotionally unobtainable, innocent and worldly. She makes up a long list of her supposed lovers, and feigns indifference to Flannagan's many peccadilloes, finally arranging with him to get together, no strings attached, whenever he's in Paris.
Flannagan's toast. He falls for the plot hook, line, and sinker. He didn't stand a chance.
Which is lucky for Ariane, because she's not nearly as indifferent as she tries to appear.
The comedy part is top-notch. I loved watching Ariane twist Flannagan around her little finger. (and can I possibly use any more cliches in one review? I think I've set a record) Audrey Hepburn, Maurice Chevalier, and Gary Cooper were all fabulous. Ariane's knowledge of Flannagan's unchanging technique and his reaction to her knowledge was priceless; I particularly enjoyed when Ariane's father confronted Flannagan; and I loved the idea of the innocent but clever young girl outwitting the worldly older man and getting what she wanted.
However.
You knew there had to be a "however"--otherwise I'd have give this much more than 3.5 stars.
I had trouble liking the story and believing the ending. Unlike a lot of reviewers, I definitely believe a young woman would find a much-older womanizer attractive: the lure of taming him would be irresistible to a certain kind of woman, and Ariane is one, even if a 30-year age difference creeps me out.
But it's so much like older romance novels, where dishonesty and trickery snare someone a mate, and it's all okay because it's for their own good, in the name of love. I just can't buy that. A relationship based on falsehoods... how solid can that be? Not very. If the only way he'll be with her is if he believes her to be someone she's not, how much can he really love her? There's always the theory that the trickery opened his eyes to real love, but I don't believe that, either.
And then there's the fact that his attitude toward women is the more the better, and that women are interchangeable to him. It seems so plausible in the movie that she convinces him to give up his libertine ways, but I give them six months before the novelty wears off and he's back to his old habits.
As a fairy tale, though, it's a lovely movie.
Categories: Movies, 3.5stars, RomanticComedy
Labels: 3.5 stars, Movies, RomanticComedy
The Kite Runner
****½ The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. General fiction.
I bought this from Zooba (now BOMC2) as part of my effort to expand my reading horizons--I tend to stay far, far away from "bestsellers," especially books that are promoted as being "bestsellers" even before they hit the shelves. But I realized that this, too, is a prejudice, so I started putting a few in my queue.
Despite all the hype, all I knew about The Kite Runner prior to reading it was that it was about Afghanistan, and that people either loved or hated it because of that.
It is indeed set in Afghanistan, but it's about Amir, the son of a wealthy businessman, and his friend Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. It's about childhood, and the limitations of friendship when confronted with class differences and competition for a distant parent's love. It's about growing up, and coming to terms with childhood injustices, both those given and received. The setting of Afghanistan definitely contributes to the plot, but it's not, in itself, what the book is about.
The Kite Runner is a powerful, uncomfortable story. I heartily disliked Amir for quite a while until I recognized some of my own petty childhood cruelties, both received and perpetrated, and realized that he wasn't exceptionally cruel or self-centered--he was just a child.
I doubt I'll read this again, but I'm very glad I read it.
Categories: Books, 4.5stars, GeneralFiction
Labels: 4.5 stars, books, GeneralFiction
Monday Morning Meme
I found this Smut Meme on L. A. Day's blog:
The rules are as follows: You must call it the Smut Meme (obvious reasons, I’d hope), you must link to me in the title, and you must tag 2 people, and link to them as well. Oh, and you must post this little blurb at the beginning, like I’ve just done. Got it? Ok then. The idea is to pick one or the other, even if you prefer neither. I’ll go first. If you want to play along you can answer the questions in the comments.
1. Chocolate or Whipped Cream: Chocolate
2. Leather or PVC: Leather
3. Outdoor Sex or Indoor Sex: Indoor
4. In the Jacuzzi or In Bed? Bed
5. Bad Sex or No Sex: No Sex
6. Dominate or Be Dominated: Be Dominated
7. Thigh highs or Bodystocking: Thigh highs
8. Fast or Slow: Slow
9. Rough or Gentle: Rough
10. Bite or Suck: Bite
11. Role play or Reality: Reality
12. Dirty Talking or Dirty Talking To: Dirty Talking To
13. Edible panties or No Panties: No Panties
14. Spanking paddle or Bare-handed: Paddle
15. Landing Strip or Kojak: Kojak
16. Multiple Sessions or One Good Fuck: One Good Fuck
17. Moaning or Screaming: Moaning
18. Older Men or Young Men: Older Men, but not much older than me
19. Threeway or No Way: No Way
20. Swing or No Swinging: No Swinging
Consider yourself tagged.
Categories: Meme, AboutMe
The rules are as follows: You must call it the Smut Meme (obvious reasons, I’d hope), you must link to me in the title, and you must tag 2 people, and link to them as well. Oh, and you must post this little blurb at the beginning, like I’ve just done. Got it? Ok then. The idea is to pick one or the other, even if you prefer neither. I’ll go first. If you want to play along you can answer the questions in the comments.
1. Chocolate or Whipped Cream: Chocolate
2. Leather or PVC: Leather
3. Outdoor Sex or Indoor Sex: Indoor
4. In the Jacuzzi or In Bed? Bed
5. Bad Sex or No Sex: No Sex
6. Dominate or Be Dominated: Be Dominated
7. Thigh highs or Bodystocking: Thigh highs
8. Fast or Slow: Slow
9. Rough or Gentle: Rough
10. Bite or Suck: Bite
11. Role play or Reality: Reality
12. Dirty Talking or Dirty Talking To: Dirty Talking To
13. Edible panties or No Panties: No Panties
14. Spanking paddle or Bare-handed: Paddle
15. Landing Strip or Kojak: Kojak
16. Multiple Sessions or One Good Fuck: One Good Fuck
17. Moaning or Screaming: Moaning
18. Older Men or Young Men: Older Men, but not much older than me
19. Threeway or No Way: No Way
20. Swing or No Swinging: No Swinging
Consider yourself tagged.
Categories: Meme, AboutMe
Labels: about me, random memes
Sunday, May 25, 2008
Rules of Engagement
**** Rules of Engagement by Katherine Caskie. Historical romance.
Eliza Merriweather doesn't want to marry--she'd prefer to go to Italy to study art. But she's promised her aunts to spend one season in London first. Her aunts are hoping she'll find a husband, and to help them, they have a secret weapon: one of the last books Eliza's late father bought: Rules of Engagement. It's obviously about military strategy, but the aunts' poor eyesight (they can only read the chapter headings) and their wishes lead them to believe it's about finding husbands for their nieces.
Magnus MacKinnon has just become the Earl of Sommerton. He's spent most of his life in the military--as the younger son, he never expected to inherit. So he's unprepared for dealing with the debts he's been left, and making matters worse, he's made a poor investment. Because of his feelings of responsibility to the people on his estates, he's come to the conclusion that his only option now is to marry money.
But he meets and falls in love with Eliza first, and Eliza doesn't have the kind of money he needs.
It's a cute story, with a star-crossed couple and the kindly yet misguided meddling aunts. It's all been done before, and there's nothing really outstanding about this story to set it apart, but it's readable and entertaining, and a nice example of a light Regency romance.
Categories: Books, 4stars, HistoricalRomance
Labels: 4 stars, books, HistoricalRomance
Link of the Week
The title of this site says it all: "Cow Abduction." Run your mouse over the cow on the picture, and it'll be abducted. There are pictures and accounts of cow abductions, messages to aliens, and products and services to protect your cows.
Categories: LOTW
Labels: cool links
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Sweeney Todd
****½ Sweeney Todd. Horror/musical.
Directed by Tim Burton.
Starring: Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman,
Carl and I saw this at the Hercules by ourselves. Although we were apparently in the minority in thinking it wasn't appropriate for the kids. I was a little disturbed by the number of 5 - 10 year-olds in the audience.
Maybe their parents were all, like me, mostly unaware of the plot (though the R rating is a hint, as is the subtitle "the Demon Barber"). I hadn't even realized it was a musical. I'm so out of touch sometimes.
Anyway. Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) used to be a happily married barber named Benjamin Barker, until Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) gets him transported to Australia on a trumped-up charge to get Barker's wife for himself. She then poisons herself in despair, and their daughter Johanna becomes the judge's ward.
Now Barker is back, rechristened as Sweeney Todd. He reconnects with old friend Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) and prepares to reopen a barbershop. When his identity is discovered by rival barber Pirelli (Sacha Baron Cohen), he kills him, and Mrs. Lovett uses the body for meat pies in her shop... which becomes very popular, and the two of them go on a killing and baking spree, intended to culminate in the murder of Judge Turpin.
This is very dark humor--typical Tim Burton--but somehow it works, and you're simultaneously horrified and amused. And of course, it is a musical, and the songs are great.
Categories: Movies, 4.5stars, Horror, Musical
Labels: 4.5 stars, horror, Movies, musical
Many Bloody Returns
Many Bloody Returns. contemporary fantasy.
- ****½ "Dracula Night" by Charlaine Harris.
I'm not a fan of the Sookie Stackhouse series (see here for why), so this story was a pleasant surprise. Vampire Eric goes all out preparing a big party for Dracula's birthday, in hopes that Dracula himself will show up--think Linus and the Great Pumpkin.
It was funny, and even a little poignant, and Sookie wasn't nearly as annoying as I usually find her. - **½ "The Mournful Cry of Owls" by Christopher Golden.
On a girl's sixteenth birthday, she becomes... whatever it is that she becomes. Vampire-ish.
Much ado about the usual teenage impatience with her mother's warnings, lots of descriptions of scenery and navel-gazing, which might have been atmospheric if the story hadn't gone on so long and if something actually happened. - *** "I Was a Teenage Vampire" by Bill Crider.
A girl wants a real live vampire at her 18th birthday party and coerces her brother into inviting one.
There really wasn't anything special, interesting, or funny about this one. Ordinary and forgettable. - **** "Twilight" by Kelley Armstrong.
Vampire Cassandra isn't convinced that another year of life is worth having to kill once more.
The dilemma was interesting, and Cassandra's emotions were clear, as were those of her friend who's trying to help her. But the rules are either contradictory or not that well explained, and there's a little too much back-and-forth indecision. - ***** "It's My Birthday, Too" by Jim Butcher.
This is probably the funniest of the Dresden Files short stories, and my favorite by a slim margin (they're all worth 5 stars).
It's Thomas's birthday, and wizard Harry Dresden wants to give him a present. Harry tracks Thomas down in a mall where he's playing a LARP, and pretending to be a straight vampire (he is a straight vampire). All hell breaks loose, and there's action, and Harry being clever and inventive, and some very cool magic effects, as well as an assortment of supernatural types.
There's not a slow or boring spot in this story, and we get everything from Harry's solicitude over his apprentice to his introduction to role-playing games to his very kick-ass magical combat skills. Oh, hell. Just read the story. It's great. - **** "Grave-Robbed" by P. N. Elrod.
Vampire P. I. Jack Fleming investigates a phony medium who's preying on a wealthy widow.
This story was entertaining, as far as it went. I enjoyed how he exposed the medium, but it was a little too simplistic and drawn-out, and there was a little too much extraneous backstory. - ****½ "The First Day of the Rest of Your Life" by Rachel Caine.
In Morganville, your 18th birthday means you have to sign with one of the vampires in town for protection, or you're prey. It's Eve Rosser's 18th birthday, and she doesn't want to sign.
Even though I hadn't read any of Rachel Caine's Morganville Vampires series yet (I have, in the meantime--I'm really behind on reviews), I wasn't lost, and was, instead, intrigued by the town and the premise. The story was exciting, and the characters were interesting and sympathetic. - ***½ "The Witch and the Wicked" by Jeanne C. Stein.
Witch Sophie caters a birthday party for a vampire, only to have the guest of honor immolated by his birthday cake. Then she comes up with the clever idea of using a little of his dust in a youth-preserving face cream.
This was amusing and clever, but it felt like a description of a premise--more like a prologue to the real story. - ***** "Blood Wrapped" by Tanya Huff.
Vampire Henry and wizard Tony are on the case of a kidnapped child, and while they're at it, Henry's trying to decide what to give Vicki for her 40th birthday.
The mystery was cleverly solved in this one, through the use of actual deduction, which I appreciated. The relationship between the characters was entertaining, and the running thread of Vicki's birthday was both humorous and sentimental.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and it reminded me that I have a couple books from this series in my TBR pile. - ***½ "The Wish" by Carolyn Haines.
This is a rather depressing story about a woman who's survived many things that should have killed her--including suicide attempts--but now that she is about to die, she turns to a vampire instead.
It is deeply emotional, and you can really feel for the woman, but it's just too depressing for me to really enjoy it. - *** "Fire and Ice and Linguini for Two" by Tate Hallaway.
A vampire and a witch who's possessed by a goddess are going out for the vampire's birthday on Christmas day. Their car breaks down and they get picked up by a demon.
There's a lot of obscure mythology thrown into this story, and I suppose if you're into mythology enough to recognize all the players, you'd enjoy it. For me, though, it was just gratuitous, and felt more like reading a chapter from the middle of the 5th book in a series: too many unfamiliar and unexplained characters, and not enough happening in the story to make it interesting in spite of that. - **** "Vampire Hours" by Elaine Viets.
A plastic surgeon's menopausal wife discovers he's cheating on her, decides to divorce him, and finds some unusual allies in vampires.
This was a fun revenge kind of story--my only problem was that I had trouble relating to Katherine's cheerful bloodthirstiness (in the violence-sense, not the drinking-blood-sense). - ***½ "How Stella Got Her Grave Back" by Toni L. P. Kelner.
Vampire Stella visits her grave on her birthday, only to find someone else buried in it. So she and fellow vampire Mike set out to find out who the body is, and then to solve its murder.
This was a laid-back story, very heavy on the dialogue. Most of the story is Mark and Stella chatting, only occasionally about things having to do with the case. I assume if you were familiar with the characters, you might enjoy this. I wasn't, so a lot of it just felt like boring filler to me.
Categories: Books, 5stars, 4.5stars, 4stars, 3.5stars, 3stars, 2.5stars, ContemporaryFantasy
Labels: 2.5 stars, 3 stars, 3.5 stars, 4 stars, 4.5 stars, 5 stars, books, ContemporaryFantasy
Friday, May 23, 2008
Sundial
***** Sundial by Carrie Lofty. Time travel romance.
When Amber Schulman arrives in 1958 Sorrento, Italy from 2007 England, one of the first people she meets is Mark Lacey... from 1987.
He's been stuck in 1958 for 4 years, since he was 16. He's seen other time travelers come and go, yet he's remained. So he's frustrated, angry, and cynical, having grown up very fast when he was plunged into a different time and place at such a young age. Yet he still tries to help Amber out. He's irritable about it, but he does it.
They fall in love, but hold back because neither of them knows if or when they'll be whisked back to their own time. Eventually, working together, they try to solve the enigma of their time travel and engineer a return so they can be together.
This is one of the very best time travel romances I've read, despite its short length. In fact, I was surprised at how short it was, since the story was very complete. The characters are real and understandable and likable, and I could almost believe I was in 1958 Sorrento, it was described so vividly.
I'm not normally a fan of big age differences in romances (Mark's 20, Amber's 30), but it works well here: Mark's had to grow up a lot in his 4 years in 1958, and his greater familiarity with the place and the language makes up for the 10 years she has on him. Plus, it ****semi-spoiler****helps with the ending.****
I think my favorite thing about this story, other than the characters, is how the two of them worked together to get "back to the future." (sorry--I couldn't resist) I won't tell you how it turns out, but the ending is just perfect.
I bought this because I've enjoyed Carrie's blog, and I like supporting new authors. I have her next book, What a Scoundrel Wants, on my to-buy list for December because she's a damn good author.
Categories: Books, 5stars, TimeTravelRomance
Labels: 5 stars, books, TimeTravelRomance
Friday Flashback
From April 2003:
Sleep Tight by Anne Frasier. Romantic suspense.
Read the entire thread, including comments from Anne Frasier, here.
Categories: Flashback, Books, RomanticSuspense
Sleep Tight by Anne Frasier. Romantic suspense.
This is truly a book with something for everyone: a creepy suspense story about a serial killer, a family story about estranged sisters overcoming their differences, and a mystery story about a decade-old murder. There's even a hint of romance. All the parts are combined seamlessly, with developments in one affecting the others, making for an especially intense reading experience.
Elsewhere on this board, I've recommended reading this one with the lights on. I'll repeat that recommendation. This killer gave me chills. Abducting young women, then killing them when they disappoint him by not being the perfect woman.... We get a peek into his head in the prologue, and that sets the tone for the whole book.
Our heroine, Mary Cantrell, is an FBI agent who's recovering from a gunshot wound. She won't take time off to heal, so her boss sends her to her hometown to help local police solve a pair of murders, assuming she'll rest when she's home.
Unfortunately, Mary's hometown isn't exactly restful for her. When she was a teenager, her best friend was murdered. A boy, Gavin Hitchcock, who was friends with Mary's sister Gillian, was convicted of the crime, yet Gillian maintains his innocence, and remains his friend. He was released from prison shortly before the first murder. Gillian helped him find a place to live. What's worse, the murders have some similarities to the murder of Mary's friend all those years ago. And to top it off, Gillian is working for the local police force, so Mary and Gillian have to try to put aside their differences and work together.
For the first half of this book, as the evidence mounts up against Gavin, I was so angry with Gillian that I couldn't see how the sisters could ever end the book amicably. Which is great, by the way--I always enjoy being surprised.
The secondary characters really added to the depth of the book--Mary & Gillian's mother, Blythe, is a free spirit, and scenes with her are a welcome break from the tension. Mary's partner Anthony is a quiet but solid presence, always there when Mary needs him, caring for her more deeply than she realized. There's a wonderful scene where Blythe decides they all need to relax and she proposes a pottery competition.
I don't want to say anything about the end of the book, for fear of spoiling it for someone who hasn't read the book yet. I loved the surprises & twists along the way--I didn't see them coming, but I suspect I'd see the clues on a reread. Which I'll do with the lights on.
Read the entire thread, including comments from Anne Frasier, here.
Categories: Flashback, Books, RomanticSuspense
Labels: books, flashback, RomanticSuspense
Thursday, May 22, 2008
TT #100
Thirteen Favorite Thursday Thirteen Posts
- Towel Day Thirteen: Douglas Adams quotes. Plus, Towel Day is this Sunday: Do you know where your towel is?
- Thirteen Cars: nice nostalgia for me. Though we've had two cars since then, and I'm still drooling whenever I look at the new one. (that picture reminds me I need to take good pix of the new Mercedes--the reflections on that picture look like scratches. Yikes. Also need to come up with a name. I was thinking "Hans," but I'm not convinced yet. Any suggestions?)
- Thirteen Things About My Vacation: summer 2006's trip to Italy. No pix, but I thought I sounded marginally clever.
- Anniversary Thirteen: sappy, but true.
- Medically Significant Arthropods: bugs. This one was fun. And nostalgic.
- Short List: I still go back to this one to drool occasionally.
- Jim Butcher Quotes: I'm such a fangirl.
- Things We Know: another fun one, and a good reminder to check your facts.
- Castles: because who doesn't like castles? Plus, some good memories.
- Germany vs. the US: from my POV, of course. Reminds me, I could definitely do a follow-up.
- Military Life in Europe: some details about living as a US military family member in Germany
- 2007 Statistics: it was a lot of work, but interesting to break down a year's worth of blogging.
- Fish: fun to make, and good memories.
The entire list of TTs can be found here.
Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
- Winter's 100th blog post
- She Became a Butterfly
- On a Limb with Claudia's busy
- Lynne makes a fabric bag
- Dane Bramage: mystery IPod artist
- Amy Ruttan: release day
- Julia Smith: The Hotline
- Janet: quotes
- PussReboots: outer space book covers
- Cassandra's hottest men
- Melody: Vanishing Acts
- Bethanie: twins
- Sassy Mama Bear: the fragments of life
- Susan Helene Gottfried: good intentions
- Sue: Facebook stickers
- Robin
- Julia
- 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, May 21, 2008
Eyes of Amber
Eyes of Amber and Other Stories by Joan D. Vinge. Science fiction.
- ***** "Eyes of Amber"
This novella won the Hugo award in 1977, and it's easy to see why. It starts out as the story of an assassin renowned for her skill and for the fact that she's in league with a demon. But it becomes something more when it turns out that the demon's eye she carries is actually a probe which allows communication between her and a human on earth.
Both the alien and the human have individual stories that could have carried a story on their own--they're characters you can care about. In addition, there's the story of what happens when vastly different civilizations come into contact with each other, and the misunderstandings that arise.
It worked very well to begin the story with the alien portion--allowing the reader to connect with the alien as a protagonist instead of seeing her initially through human eyes, as other.
This is an excellent example of a story that's exactly as long as it needs to be--so many novellas or short stories feel rushed or unfinished (and there are also full-length novels that feel stretched out or padded), but the story here is complete, complex, and satisfying. - ****½ "To Bell the Cat"
This is another story about humans interacting with aliens. But it's completely different.
A war criminal, Jory, has been brainwiped and is now the property of a biomedical research institute, which has also turned him into a sort of superbeing who can heal anything they do to him. The institute is investigating a planet for tourism, and they want to discover how the local inhabitants, trogs, survive the radiation.
We get some scenes from the trogs' POV--and they're truly alien--as they try to communicate with Jory.
In the afterword to this story, Vinge talks about writing aliens who aren't just humans dressed up in funny suits, and she definitely succeeds in this case. But as with "Eyes of Amber", there's more to the story than just the description of the aliens, and Jory is nearly as alien as the trogs. - **** "View from a Height"
The protagonist in this story has spent her entire life in a bubble, the victim of an incurable deficient immune system. So she volunteered for a one-way research trip into space, just her and her parrot, and communication with a colleague back on earth just once every 12 days.
Only to find that, once she's beyond the point of no return, that a cure for her condition has been found.
This is a short story, and a sad one. It's well written, but it breaks my heart. - ***½ "Media Man"
A media man (reporter) gets invited along on a corporate expedition, discovers a plot by the head honcho, and falls in love with the spaceship's pilot.
There's quite a lot of backstory to this one, and I'm not sure it was all that necessary. And the ending left me hanging, which I didn't like.
But in between, it was a pretty good story about doing the wrong thing for the right reasons; about betraying someone to save them. - *** "The Crystal Ship"
This story was... confusing. There are the people from the crystal ship, who spend their time drugged on "chitta" and dreaming, until some of them start to die, and Tarawassie goes off to find the reason.
Then there are the "real people," who provide the chitta and can "teach" by mind-linking through a touch. Tarawassie becomes friends with one, called "Moon Shadow." Their friendship causes problems when Moon Shadow gives her information her kind isn't supposed to have.
According to the afterword, this story was based on a poem and a Doors song. That likely explains it. I'm not a poetic sort of person. - **** "Tin Soldier"
This one is actually a romance. The "tin soldier" is Maris, a cyborg who owns a bar frequented by space travelers. He falls in love with one: Brandy.
They're perfect for each other: space travelers (all female, I don't remember why) avoid anything other than one-night stands--because of the vagaries of space travel, when they return to the same place years later, they've only aged a few months. And the cyborg doesn't age, and he's likewise, because of his nature, alone.
It's a sweet story, melancholy in spots, about finding love against the odds.
Categories: Books, 5stars, 4.5stars, 4stars, 3.5stars, 3stars, ScienceFiction
Labels: 3 stars, 3.5 stars, 4 stars, 4.5 stars, 5 stars, books, ScienceFiction
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
La Cage Aux Folles
***** La Cage Aux Folles. Comedy.
Directed by: Edouard Molinaro
Starring: Ugo Tognazzi, Michel Serrault, Claire Maurier, Remi Laurent, Benny Luke, Luisa Maneri, Michel Galabru
I'd originally seen this years ago, and loved it, so I bought the DVD recently after being reminded of it by one of Moondancer Drake's posts. It's such a classic, I felt it needed to be in our library.
The story is about a gay couple, Renato (Ugo Tognazzi) and Albin (Michel Serrault) living in St. Tropez. Renato's son Laurent (Remi Laurent) is getting married, but he's worried about how his fiancee's father will react to their lifestyle, so Laurent talks them into pretending to be straight when Andrea (Luisa Maneri) and her parents (Michel Galabru & Carmen Scarpitta) visit.
Which isn't as easy as it sounds. Renato owns a cabaret, and Albin, in drag as "Zaza", is the star attraction. They live above the club.
On the other side, the fiancee's father is head of the conservative party which is in the middle of a moral scandal, and so it's extra-important for him that his daughter's wedding be the epitome of conservative family values.
Complicating matters further are the barefoot French maid Jacob (Benny Luke) and Laurent's biological mother (Claire Maurier).
The DVD offers the choice of watching it dubbed or in the original French with subtitles. The original is vastly better, even though I don't speak French. The emotion comes through in the voice--you can get the meaning from the words in the subtitles.
And even in French with subtitles, I laughed myself silly. La Cage Aux Folles is a comedy, full of sight gags and hilarious situations, but like all very good comedies, it has an underlying seriousness that gives is meaning. Unsurprisingly, there's a theme of prejudice and acceptance, and being yourself.
The contrast between Laurent's and Andrea's families is pertinent but subtle: Laurent's home is brighter, more cheerful, and there's more affection between Renato and Albin than between Andrea's parents.
It's a shorter movie than I remembered, but every scene counts. The actors are all perfect in their roles, and even the flamboyant Albin/Zaza doesn't come off as a caricature.
I saw the remake Birdcage when it came out years ago, and it really doesn't compare. I did, though, put it in our Netflix queue so we can compare.
Categories: Movies, 5stars, Comedy
Labels: 5 stars, comedy, Movies
