tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89290637489633691582024-03-13T23:04:54.793-07:00Kiss Me GoodnightKatie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-69159052987951166082010-01-24T15:54:00.000-08:002010-01-24T15:54:23.374-08:00Explaining My Vanishing Act<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8929063748963369158" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNQ7zxaBtUHB7o24fQrXA8_orDqot2FnhtZQSAfiSMWPO9zrlyWAgK-xuC2gHb1lRMnlpXl2UztE70d-mFdzeqkajd4ganzlDxzlyQ0X_clA-ReuZvzfb_nwHpJld6Dt4XM9DBy0u8298/s400/hiatus.png" width="400" /></a><br /></div>
Some of you may recall a few posts back when I mentioned moving to a new city and starting a new career. Well, that new career is the reason my online presence has been virtually nonexistent the last few weeks. To make a long story short: I'm in the police academy. <br />
<br />
For those of you who don't know, police academies in California are 22 weeks of intensive academic and physical training in a para-military structure. I can best describe it as a combination of boot camp and college, which, in practical terms, means most of my free time is spent either studying for exams or spit-shining my boots. Seriously.<br />
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When I started this blog a couple of months ago, I had no idea how much longer the hiring process was going to take, or if I would even be successful. It wasn't until Thanksgiving week that I found out my year-and-a-half wait was over and that I'd been hired. I had 6 weeks to relocate and prepare for the start of the academy. Needless to say, December was a stressful month.<br />
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Going into the academy I knew I'd be busy, but I wasn't exactly sure how much free time I'd have. After a couple of weeks, I now realize that it will be a struggle for me to meet my monthly AAR reviewer commitment of 3 books, let alone find time to blog on a regular basis.<br />
<br />
Which means that for the next several months I'm putting this blog on hiatus, with the fervent hope that once all of my training is complete, I'll be able to re-devote myself to the endeavor, which I truly enjoyed for the short time I did it.<br />
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In the mean time I'll still be reviewing for <a href="http://likesbooks.com/">AAR</a>, so I won't be completely absent from Romanceland. In fact, since my last blog post I've had two reviews go up at AAR -- <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7680">If Looks Could Chill</a> by Nina Bruhns and <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7675">Strangers in the Night</a> by Saskia Walker -- and my reviews of <b>Slow Heat</b> by Jill Shalvis and <b>Waking the Dead</b> by Kylie Brant should be posted within the next week or so. But the likelihood of my having time to blog-hop is close to nil.<br />
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As an aside, I can now call myself a true <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_Bay_Area">Bay Area</a> resident. I experienced my first earthquake within days after moving to the area, which was a very <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twilight_Zone">Twilight Zone</a> experience. I was sitting with my fellow recruits in the classroom, listening to the T.O. speak, when I felt this shaking. I started looking all around trying to figure out what the hell was happening, but everyone else was listening to the T.O. like there was nothing out of the ordinary. Which, apparently, there wasn't. The T.O. didn't even pause in her speech. I remember thinking, "What the hell? Don't any of you people <i>feel</i> that?" It wasn't until after class ended that someone got on their iPhone and said, "Nice. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_magnitude_scale">A 4.1.</a>" Yeah, <i>nice</i>. That's <i>exactly</i> what I was thinking.<br />
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<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-67639377206311454102010-01-09T12:34:00.000-08:002010-01-09T12:34:40.526-08:002009: My Fave Reads (and Un-Favorites)It's nearly a week after my 2009 stats post, but I'm finally getting around to posting my list of favorite reads from 2009. At first I was planning on picking the "best" books from only the pool of books that were both published in 2009, and that I actually read in 2009. But when I started choosing books I discovered that I wasn't happy with those rules. Yes, I'm going to have to follow those rules when choosing my selections for the AAR poll, but who says I have to follow them on my blog too? I say I don't, so I'm not gonna.<br />
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So with that in mind, the following books were chosen using only one rule: I first read them in 2009. Some were published in 2009, some were published earlier, so I'm not calling this my list of Best Books of 2009. Instead, these are my Favorite Reads of 2009.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Hyperlinked book titles will take you to my reviews.) </span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/33780000/33781090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/33780000/33781090.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Contemporary Romance</span><br />
<a href="http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7196"><b>Under the Influence</b></a><br />
Author: Nancy Warren<br />
Published: 2009<br />
Grade: A-<br />
It was a really close decision between this one and <b>Hot Under Pressure</b> by Kathleen O'Reilly, but <b>Under the Influence</b> wins it by an itty-bitty margin. I picked this book up because I happened upon <a href="http://cindyreadsromance.blogspot.com/">Cindy's</a> review -- this was before I really started blog-hopping so I have no idea how that happened -- and just fell in love with it. It's light, funny, sexy, <i>and</i> has a gender role-reversal plot (usually it's the heroine in a service position, and the hero as the high-powered executive). Because this book also happens to be a series romance, it's my pick in that category too.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Erotic Romance</span><br />
<b>Crossing Borders</b><br />
Author: Z.A. Maxfield<br />
Published: 2008<br />
Grade: A-<br />
Normally I don't go in for romances where one or more of the protagonists is under the age of 25, but this one really worked for me. Tristan is only 19 to Michael's 26, and this age difference is a source of conflict between the two, in addition to Michael's job as a police officer. This one was emotional, compelling, sexy, and romantic. Really it's one of the best erotic romances I've read, period.<br />
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<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/23490000/23496244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/23490000/23496244.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Romantic Suspense</span><br />
<b>Fever Dreams</b><br />
Author: Laura Leone<br />
Published: 2004<br />
Grade: A-<br />
After reading Leone's awesome <b>Fallen from Grace</b>, I started tracking down her backlist. <b>Fever Dreams</b> was originally issued in 1997, but in 2004 this revised version was released by Leone's then-publisher Five Star. It's an adventure romance set in a fictional South American country that erupts in civil war, and is an edge of your seat, I-can't-possibly-put-this-book-down experience. <br />
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<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/13890000/13891206.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/13890000/13891206.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Mystery</span><br />
<b>Out of the Deep I Cry</b><br />
Author: Julia Spencer-Fleming<br />
Published: 2005<br />
Grade: A<br />
Clare Fergusson and Russ Van Alstyne. *Sigh.* Two of the best romance protagonists, <i>ever</i>. <b>Out of the Deep I Cry</b> is the third book in Spencer-Fleming's incredible series following this Army chopper pilot / Episcopalian priest and the Chief of Police in fictional Miller's Kill, New York. After hearing my AAR colleagues Rachel and Lynn rave about this mystery series, I just had to give it a shot. Oh. My. God. I read all 6 books (that are out) in about a week and a half. I couldn't stop myself, nor did I want to. I've loved them all, but <b>Out of the Deep I Cry</b> was just spectacular. It features a compelling mystery dating back to the 1930s, and one of the hottest, sexiest, most emotional kiss-scenes I've ever read. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/33440000/33447730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/33440000/33447730.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Paranormal Romance</span><br />
<b>At Grave's End</b><br />
Author: Jeaniene Frost<br />
Published: 2009<br />
Grade: B<br />
Currently the only paranormal series I follow is Frost's <i>Night Huntress</i> series, although I haven't had the chance yet to read her latest entry in that series, <b>Destined for an Early Grave</b>, so I can't compare these two 2009 releases. What I can say is that I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with Cat and Bones in <b>At Grave's End</b>, and look forward to reading more of them in the future. This book is also distinguished as, IIRC, the <i>only</i> paranormal romance I read in 2009 that I actually enjoyed.<br />
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<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/24260000/24267189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/24260000/24267189.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Historical Romance</span><br />
<b>Lord of Scoundrels</b><br />
Author: Loretta Chase<br />
Published: 1995<br />
Grade: A-<br />
After hearing so many readers rave about this book, I finally got off my ass and read it when it was one of the picks for the AAR Book Club. I am so thankful, because I just loved this book. Jessica Trent quickly became one of my favorite romance heroines, and I must say that she rocked my world when she <span style="color: #f4cccc;">actually shot Dain</span>. I know a lot of readers don't like that scene, but I thought it was awesome. I guess I was expecting traditional romance fare and a heroine who threatened but wasn't really willing to pull the trigger (heh). While I enjoyed the entire book from start to finish, I found the first half much more solid than the second half, hence the minus attached to the A grade.<br />
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<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/47750000/47758943.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/47750000/47758943.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Women's Fiction</span><br />
<a href="http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7402"><b>Red's Hot Honky-Tonk Bar</b></a><br />
Author: Pamela Morsi<br />
Published: 2009<br />
Grade: A-<br />
I don't read much Women's Fiction or Chick Lit, but I couldn't resist the premise of a forty-something bar owner grandmother heroine paired with a younger man. When I started the book I wasn't sure if I was actually going to like Red, but as the book wore on and Morsi peeled away the layers of her character, I grew to not only like her, but have a great deal of respect for her. The big reason I didn't like Red in the beginning is that she seemed like a terrible mother and grandmother. But at some point I realized that Red wasn't actually so terrible; that was her opinion of herself, not others' opinions of her, but because the book is told from Red's perspective, in the beginning (when you're only getting her view of herself) you're only seeing the bad stuff. <br />
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<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/33600000/33604148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/33600000/33604148.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Most Disappointing Book</span><br />
<b>What I Did for Love</b><br />
Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips<br />
Genre: Contemporary Romance<br />
Published: 2009<br />
Grade: C+<br />
I was so very excited that SEP had a new book coming out last year and I was<i> thisclose</i> to buying the hardcover. Then I read <a href="http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7152">LinnieGayl's less-than-stellar review</a>, and because she's normally a big fan of SEP like myself, I decided to wait and get it from the library. I'm so glad I did, because I was really disappointed with this one. It was kind of like a cross between SEP's older saga-style women's fiction books and her contemporary romances, only without her trademark humor. For most of the book we know the heroine far better than the hero, which is a problem because the heroine only sees the jerk the hero used to be, hence the readers see him as a jerk. It took far too long for me to like Bram, and I was disappointed that this one wasn't funny like SEP's romances usually are. <b>What I Did for Love</b> is far from the worst book I read last year, but it was the one that I was most eagerly anticipating that didn't end up paying off. <br />
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<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/39070000/39078330.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/39070000/39078330.JPG" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Least Favorite Book</span> (aka Worst Book)<br />
<a href="http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7502"><b>Lucky in Love</b></a><br />
Author: Carolyn Brown<br />
Genre: Contemporary Romance <br />
Published: 2009<br />
Grade: F<br />
What can I say about <b>Lucky in Love</b>? How about that I hated everything about it, from the pushover hero, to the selfish heroine, to the frustrating Secret Baby plot, to the extreme head-hopping, to the 40-page <strike>epilogue</strike> final chapters, and especially the constant references to feces and/or bowel-movements. It was a chore to read this book. Had I not been reading it for review there is no way in hell I would have ever forced myself to finish it. I can't even make myself think about it anymore; I just want to banish it from my memory.<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Biggest Gloms </span><br />
Elizabeth Hoyt<br />
Julia Spencer-Fleming<br />
Megan Hart<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Favorite New Author Discovered </span><br />
Julia Spencer-Fleming<br />
<br />
****<br />
So that wraps up my Favorite Reads of 2009, plus a couple of un-favorites. <b>Have you read any of these books? What did you think?</b><br />
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<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-52720228349481030892010-01-05T17:47:00.000-08:002010-01-05T17:47:13.804-08:00Review: The Gift by Eva Cassel<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/6D0588FF-864D-4B22-A5D0-0554AF2F5E78/10/141/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=6BE092A1-EF52-447F-A462-EF5DEAE03951" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: .02em; margin-right: .9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-200/1071-1/%7B6BE092A1-EF52-447F-A462-EF5DEAE03951%7DImg200.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
My review of <b>The Gift</b> by Eva Cassel is up over at AAR. I was hesitant to try this one due to the cover blurb, but took a chance that ended up paying off. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7668">Click here to read my full review.</a><br />
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Disclosure: I purchased this book myself.<br />
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<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-54286105093915167512010-01-03T11:47:00.000-08:002010-01-03T11:47:20.415-08:00Year in Review: 2009<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.luxuo.com/wp-content/uploads/new-year-2010-468x292.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="124" src="http://www.luxuo.com/wp-content/uploads/new-year-2010-468x292.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I considered a few different approaches for my 2009 year end book review, but I figured nobody would be interested in reading a list of all 178 books I read last year, so I axed that idea. Instead I'm talking statistics -- specifically the various statistics from my 2009 reading habits that interest me. Probably none of you are interested in that either, but it interests me and it's my blog so I'm doing it anyway. Feel free to move onto the next item on your feed reader.<br />
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<b>Total Books Read </b><br />
As I already mentioned, in the year that was 2009 I managed to read a total of 178 books. This is nowhere near how many I've read in previous years, but I actually figured the number would be much lower. 2009 just felt like a busy year, but apparently I squeezed in more reading time than I'd thought.<br />
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<b>Single-Title vs. Category vs. Short-Story </b><br />
Of those 178 books, 3.4% (6) were anthologies, and another 9.6% (17) were short-stories* that were not part of an anthology. I also did a fair amount of category romance reading, and apparently I'm in love with the <a href="http://eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=192">Harlequin Blaze</a> line. (This is not really news to me, or anybody who knows me.)<br />
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Category romance made up 23.6% (42) of the books I read, and of
those books, 90% (34) were Blazes. I expect this latter percentage to change a bit in 2010, simply because thanks to <a href="http://likesbooks.com/lynnprofile.html">Lynn</a> and <a href="http://wendythesuperlibrarian.blogspot.com/">SuperWendy</a>, I'm discovering a new-found affection for the <a href="http://eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=229">Harlequin SuperRomance</a> line. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*I categorize books by length into the following groups: short stories
(<20,000 words), novellas (20,000-40,000 words), and novels
(>40,000 words).</span> <br />
<br />
<b>Series vs. Stand-Alone</b><br />
A whopping 60% (107) of the books were part of a series of connected books, which means that either I just love series, or simply that a large number of authors like to write connected books. I actually think both of these reasons are at play.<br />
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<b>Pubbed in 2009 vs. Pubbed Prior to 2009</b><br />
Only 45.5% (81) of the books were first published in 2009, indicating that I accomplished a fair amount of TBR shelf reading, as well as checking out recommendations of older books. The downside is that I have fewer books to choose from when making my selections for the AAR Annual Reader Poll.<br />
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<b>New Reads vs. Re-Reads</b><br />
Probably the number that most amazed me: only 5% (9) of the titles I read
were re-reads. Normally this number would be significantly higher, if
just for the holiday re-reading alone. But this year I wasn't able to find
the time to re-read <i>any</i> of my annual holiday favorites, much to my disappointment.<br />
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<b>Books Reviewed </b><br />
Here's a number I'm quite proud of: I reviewed a total of 28.7% (51) of the books I read. Yay me! (Actually I wrote reviews for 53 books, but 2 won't be published until this year.) After 10 months of reviewing for AAR, I'm still loving it, although I suspect given my new job, the number of reviews I'm able to turn in will drop down a bit.<br />
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<b>Borrowed vs. Bought vs. Freebies</b><br />
Of the 178 books I read, I borrowed only 15.2% (27) of them, which quite surprised me, and almost all of the borrowed books I read in the first half of 2009. The latter half of the year was categorized by me borrowing quite a few books, and returning the vast majority of them unread.<br />
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I received 19.7% (35) of the books for free by reviewing them for AAR, and purchased a total of 65.2% (116) of the books I read. Holy crap! So <i>that's</i> where all my money went.<br />
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<b>Print vs. Electronic</b><br />
After receiving my Sony Reader in late-October, I managed to squeeze in 34 ebooks into my reading schedule, accounting for 19.1% of my reading. Ebooks made up the overwhelming majority of my reading from November and December, so I expect this percentage to skyrocket in 2010.<br />
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<b>Genre/Subgenre Breakdown</b><br />
Contemporary Romance: 50.6% (90)<br />
Erotic Romance: 17.4% (31)<br />
Romantic Suspense: 11.2% (20)<br />
Historical Romance: 9.6% (17)<br />
Mystery: 5.6% (10)<br />
Women's Fiction: 2.8% (5)<br />
Para Romance / Urban Fantasy: 2.3% (4)<br />
Non-Fiction: 0.6% (1)<br />
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So, which genre/subgenre do you think is my favorite? If you answered Romance/Contemporary, you're right!<br />
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<b>Grade Breakdown </b><br />
As usual, I had a pretty damn good reading year. This is because I almost totally rely on reviews and recommendations from fellow readers before trying a new author, and I pretty much have my strategy nailed.<br />
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I must add, however, that my number of C, D, and F reads were higher than in years past. There are two primary reasons for this: 1) I started reviewing for AAR, thus becoming unable to rely on reviews before trying a new book, and 2) my entry into ebook reading prompted me to take many more chances with books and authors that were unknowns to me. I discovered many new fantastic authors, but I also discovered a lot of average or crap reads. But enough about that. On to the statistics*!<br />
<br />A Range: 15.8% (30)<br />
B Range: 55.8% (106)<br />
C Range: 21.6% (41)<br />
D Range: 2.1% (4)<br />
F Range: 1.1% (2)<br />
DNF: 3.7% (7)<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Anthology stories were graded individually, and these figures do not include re-reads.</span><br />
<br />
****<br />
Okay, I'll stop boring you all now. (And if you're still reading, I give you props -- you're probably a stats weirdo like myself.) I'd originally planned to include my favorite reads from 2009, but this is already a hellishly long post, so I'll save that for another day soon. <br />
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<b>So tell me: How did your 2009 reading year shape up?</b><br />
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<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-38279337662604161322009-12-31T09:27:00.000-08:002009-12-31T09:27:00.804-08:00Review: Holiday Outing by Astrid Amara<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.loose-id.com/Holiday-Outing.aspx" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.loose-id.com/images/AA_HolidayOuting_coverlg.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
My review of Astrid Amara's Hanukkah novella, <b>Holiday Outing</b>, is up today over at AAR. After reading <a href="http://www.racyromancereviews.com/2009/12/11/review-holiday-outing-by-astrid-amara/">Jessica's review</a> over at <a href="http://www.racyromancereviews.com/">Racy Romance Reviews</a>, I decided to add this one to my holiday reading extravaganza. I found it funny and heartwarming, and thoroughly enjoyed it. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7663">Click here to read my full review</a>. I also read this book as part of the <a href="http://katie-mack.blogspot.com/search/label/2009%20Holiday%20Reading%20Challenge">2009 Holiday Reading Challenge</a>.<br />
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Disclosure: I purchased this book myself.<br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-35510467511315502902009-12-29T13:57:00.000-08:002009-12-29T13:57:06.879-08:00Christmas Tidbits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="http://www.arnoldspeaks.com/uploaded_images/EggNog-734746.jpg" width="96" /></a></div>
My awesome family members and Dear Boyfriend helped me move 98% of my possessions on the day after Christmas, which means we all had to drag our asses out of bed at an ungodly hour after the festivities the day before. Lucky for Bro -- who was suffering from an eggnog hangover -- I wisely hadn't yet packed the aspirin.<br />
<br />
Moving last weekend also means that since I'm still working at my old job this week, I'm living in an apartment furnished with a chair, a folding tray table, and an air mattress. Oh, the luxury.<br />
<br />
**** <br />
Every year my mom draws each of our names out of a hat and assigns us someone for Christmas. This year I was in charge of gift-giving for Middle Sis (age 27). Knowing that Middle Sis is a big paranormal YA fan, I endeavored to both surprise her with my selection, and find a well-regarded YA book that she hasn't yet read. I also took the opportunity to, ahem, expand her horizons.Which led to this conversation:<br />
<br />
<b>ME:</b> "Now, I should warn you, two of these books aren't YA. They're adult paranormals, but I've read one and it's really, really good, and the other one comes very highly recommended. I really think you should give them a shot, you know, even though they're not YA."<br />
<br />
<b>MS</b> (looking a bit miffed): "I do occasionally read grown-up books too, you know. You don't have to warn me that they might have <i>adult</i> themes. I <i>am</i> a big girl now."<br />
<br />
<b>ME</b> (feeling acute embarrassment): "Uh, right. I didn't think that you didn't ... I mean ... um ... sorry. ... I mean, of course you read more than YA... Uh, yeah, so ... Hope you enjoy the books!" (scurries away)<br />
<br />
****<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8929063748963369158" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-left: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://img01.static-nextag.com/image/Red-Stainless-Steel-Whistling/1/000/007/030/985/703098576.jpg" /></a>Little Sis was in charge of my gift, and she did an excellent job. I drink a lot of tea during the fall and winter, but have never <strike>gotten off my ass</strike> found the time to purchase a tea kettle. So LS got me a rockin' retro red (say that 5 times fast) tea kettle very similar to the one pictured here. I'm too lazy to take a picture of my actual kettle, so y'all are stuck with this one.<br />
<br />
**** <br />
At one point during the festivities, my mother decided to share a rather embarrassing story from when Bro and I were very young. After the guffawing died down a bit, Bro stated that since our family is ruled by democracy, he was taking a vote from the <i>people who were there</i> as to whether or not said events actually occurred.<br />
<br />
Predictably, Mom was out-voted by Bro and I, and the story is now officially categorized under the heading of Spurious Tales Containing Vicious Lies and Untruths.<br />
<br />
****<br />
<b>How did your holiday turn out? Good times, good food, and all that?</b><br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-65405183565931829652009-12-25T11:35:00.000-08:002009-12-25T14:19:35.661-08:00Review/Rant: Mirror, Mirror by Amanda McIntyre<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/25C5DA1B-9DC7-4B84-944C-01D4145BDB5E/10/126/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=5ED27D1D-4A9E-4DAE-8B60-B221B65CC2C6" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-200/1071-1/%7B5ED27D1D-4A9E-4DAE-8B60-B221B65CC2C6%7DImg200.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
Title: Mirror, Mirror<br />
Author: Amanda McIntyre<br />
Genre: Erotic Fiction<br />
Length: Short Story<br />
Published: September 2008<br />
Sensuality: Burning<br />
Setting: Urban/City <br />
Disclosure: Purchased Myself<br />
<br />
<i>Unlike those that came before, lover number seventeen left Charlie
aching for more, and for the first time, she regretted her and Paul’s
arrangement. Theirs was a most unconventional marriage. Unable to enjoy
sex firsthand, Charlie’s wealthy husband provided her with a stream of
anonymous young, handsome lovers, while cameras hidden behind the
mirrors enabled him to enjoy their lovemaking second hand. It was an
arrangement that had sustained their marriage, but Charlie was
beginning to resent her goldfish bowl lovelife. Then a chance encounter
with number seventeen led to the forbidden--a hot session of soul
searing sex in a clothing store dressing room, with no prying eyes
intruding on her pleasure. Or so she thought. Then things began to turn
</i><i>really surreal, and Charlie discovered nothing was what it seemed.</i><br />
<br />
<b>REVIEW</b><br />
For most of <b>Mirror, Mirror</b>, it was ... meh. I was interested enough to keep reading, but not terribly invested in the story. As the story wore on, however, I became increasingly curious about how the author was going to create that "satisfying" ending and resolve the conflict. Then the ending came and <i>I wanted to throw the freaking book against the freaking wall</i>. I didn't, but only because it's an e-book and I didn't want to break my Sony Reader. Suffice it to say: I was pissed.<br />
<br />
You know those endings which at first surprise you, but then you think back over the story and realize little clues had been dropped along the way, and the ending is actually quite clever? <b>This isn't one of those endings</b>. Hell, this ending isn't even out in left field; it's<i> beyond</i> left field. The main character, Charlie, does something extremely TSTL, then on the next page all the conflict that has been building and building for the entire story is <i>poof!</i> gone. It was like Charlie'd had a total personality transplant and everything she'd been feeling for the last 45 pages was being remembered through glasses so deeply rose-colored as to be opaque. <br />
<br />
In addition to it being beyond left field, the optimistic and so-called <a href="http://community.eharlequin.com/forums/write-stuff/get-your-house-order/toronto-harlequin-books-canada/qa-spice-editor-susan-pezzack#comment-32962">"satisfying" ending</a> disgusted me on so many levels. But I can't explain that without giving away major spoilers, so if you want to know why you'll have to read the following Rant section.<br />
<br />
<b>Grade: F</b><br />
<br />
<b>RANT</b><br />
<b>This rant contains major spoilers, frequent swearing, and irrational anger. Read at your own risk.</b> (Highlight text to read.)<br />
<br />
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Throughout <b>Mirror, Mirror</b> it becomes increasingly evident that Charlie is not only very unhappy with "whoring herself out" (her words, not mine) for her husband's pleasure -- he's the driving force behind her sleeping with all of these men -- she's also terrified of him. He's extremely controlling -- he literally watches every single move she makes through an elaborate video setup, she's not allowed to go anywhere alone or without permission, he chooses all of the men she has to have sex with -- and she has to constantly be on guard with her facial expressions, emotions, tone of voice, etc. She's terrified of what will happen to her and Lover #17 if Paul ever finds out that she's emotionally attached to this one, as Paul is very wealthy and powerful. It may not be a physically abusive relationship, but it is on every other level. Paul is, to put it mildly, an obsessive, dangerous, controlling stalker. <br />
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As the story wears on, and Charlie is feeling more and more desperate, I couldn't figure out how the author was going to realistically get her out of her predicament and have it all end well. What happens is that Lover #17 -- in a complete 180 of his character up to this point -- decides to kidnap Charlie, collect a large ransom, then murder her. He tells her as much when he shows up to kidnap her. And Charlie just goes right along with the plan. Seriously? He tells her he's going to murder her and she doesn't even attempt to save herself? She just follows him like a puppy dog out the door? What. The. Fuck.<br />
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
But the real what-the-fuckery is when the reader is transported a month in the future to see how it all turned out. At first it seems like Lover #17's plan was to trick Paul by faking the kidnapping and murder, all so Charlie could escape her abusive husband. Uh, no. Turns out, Charlie is still with Paul and Lover #17 is in prison.<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
Wait, what? Charlie is still with Paul, you say?<br />
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
Yep, and she's blissfully happy. No, Paul hasn't changed. He's still the obsessive, controlling, stalking emotional abuser who expects her to whore herself out to any man of his choosing. It's just that Charlie has come to realize that Paul's behavior is because he<i> really, truly</i> loves her. *sigh* He's just <i>so</i> wonderful. She's <i>so</i> thankful that he'd secretly implanted a chip in her cell phone, and <strike>tracked her down</strike> rescued her from the big, bad kidnapper. She's <i>so</i> thankful for his love that she's determined to do anything at all to please him, because pleasing him is the very <i>least</i> she can do after all he's given her. <i>Oh</i>! could her life just get any more perfect? *big sigh*<br />
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
WHAT. THE. FUCK. No, really. <b>WHAT. THE. FUCK.</b><br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
Was I just transported to some alternate universe where emotional and psychological abuse is the ultimate expression of love? Did I not just spend 45 goddamn pages reading about the heroine's increasing emotional distress and fear? Did I not read about how much she hates living every second of every day under constant scrutiny? How she feels there's no one she can trust because they're all loyal to Paul? How she wants so badly to get away from him, but is too damn afraid of what he'll do? How she's tired of whoring herself out to please him?<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
I'm supposed to read all of that and then to be satisfied with how Charlie's <strike>been lobotomized</strike> seen the light and realized that Paul <strike>is an abusive psycho</strike> just really, really loves her with all of his <strike>twisted</strike> big heart? I'm supposed to be happy that she's so <strike>fucked in the head</strike> grateful to Paul for <strike>controlling</strike> loving her that she's willing to do anything to please him?<br />
</div>
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<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
<b>Are you <i>fucking</i> kidding me?!</b> I'm supposed to buy that? And be happy about it? I'm about as happy about that ending as I would be if I stepped in a big pile of dog crap.<br />
</div>
<div style="color: #fce5cd;">
<br />
</div>
<span style="color: #fce5cd;">Merry fucking Christmas to me.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
Okay, yeah, I'm still a little pissed. And not a little irrational. But I'm done now. I feel much better. I've mentally thrown the book at the wall at least half a dozen times, but it's not the same, you know? I just really needed to get all that off my chest. So, uh, thanks for <strike>putting up with me</strike> reading.<br />
<b><br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />
</b><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-62863867964040954432009-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:002009-12-24T07:00:06.532-08:00A Soul Christmas<a href="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/Misc/a_merry_christmas_tree_postcard_a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/Misc/a_merry_christmas_tree_postcard_a.jpg" width="126" /></a>Wishing a Merry Christmas to all of you of you in blogland. May your day be filled with laughter and cheer, good food and good fun, and may all your Christmas wishes come true.<br />
<br />
On this Christmas Eve, I'll share with you one of my favorite Christmas songs, and my all-time favorite rendition of this Christmas classic. Here's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otis_Redding">Otis Redding</a> singing <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas_%28song%29">White Christmas</a>:<br />
<br />
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<br />
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!
<br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-4146252107089953122009-12-23T09:37:00.000-08:002009-12-25T09:31:31.753-08:00Random Tidbits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8929063748963369158" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/Stressed-is-Desserts-Magnet-C117500.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /></div>
I'm expecting the next couple of weeks to be crazy. I'm moving to a new city, starting a new career, wrapping-up on my current job, and on top of all that I have to deal with Christmas. To say that I'm stressed is an understatement.<br />
<br />
While I would love nothing more than to curl up with a good book for an hour or two to relax, even a great story isn't enough to make me unwind. There's just too much going on in my head.<br />
<br />
***<br />
In other news, I've discovered a fantastic way to kick your fried chicken addiction. Just bite into an undercooked chicken tender, stare at the raw center, and obsess about possible salmonella poisoning. Trust me, it'll be weeks (if ever) before fried chicken sounds remotely appetizing. Now if I could just find a way to turn myself off of sweets...<br />
<br />
***<br />
A couple of weeks ago one of my cats, Blue, injured himself. He was healing quite nicely until a few days ago, when his paws started bleeding again -- probably from him messing with them. So we took the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_%282009_film%29">Cone of Shame</a> for a test-drive.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8929063748963369158&postID=414625210708995312" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-left: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0xml2tS0pPTWmBR0ggbCzudGO1vy63Xupwb0pGI7fVZj-YgqlBD8BWrfSwrzcKfFZPyS5uZxZizHLp2Taxyswld31VEy1hIAkAajFybwjOYApDxZyGkeHsIghD8PHzX37az7mut2jK18/s200/1216092110a+%282%29.jpg" /></a>As is his nature, Blue remained calm throughout the process, approaching it more from a "Let's figure out how to make this work" perspective. After repeated unsuccessful attempts at walking forward, he decided the best course of action would be to walk backward -- everywhere. There's nothing quite like watching a cat approach you ass first. <br />
<br />
So the problem wasn't with Blue; it was with myself and Blue's partner-in-crime, Poe. Poe took one look at Blue with that bright blue cone around his head, and <i>lost his ever-lovin' mind</i>. He acted like Blue was an alien invader sent to murder us all, and alternated between cowering under the bed and executing Sniff-And-Runs. And I could only take about 30 minutes of watching my poor kitty pathetically maneuver through the apartment backwards, before I removed said Cone of Shame. <br />
<br />
***<br />
I think I've checked <a href="http://www.amazon.com/">Amazon</a> at least twice this week to see if a cover has been uploaded for Julia Spencer-Fleming's upcoming release <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Clare-Fergusson-Alstyne-Mysteries/dp/0312334893/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261439345&sr=1-1"><b>One Was a Soldier</b></a>, the newest installment in her abso-freaking-amazing <i>Clare Fergusson / Russ Van Alstyne</i> series.<br />
<br />
It's not that I particularly care about the cover; it's more about having a cover as proof the release date is real this time -- unlike the previous date of October 27th. Until I see that cover, that April 13th date seems very tentative to me. And boy howdy, do I want that book. Want, as in: Really. Must. Have. It. Now.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8929063748963369158&postID=414625210708995312" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/Misc/1245105958396_f.jpg" width="159" /></a>***<br />
My glomming of the television show <a href="http://www.cwtv.com/shows/supernatural">Supernatural</a> continues, as I eagerly await the arrival of Season 3 on my doorstep. I burned through each of the first two seasons at lightning speed, which included many late nights and very little reading. I'm going to attempt to savor the third season, and draw out the enjoyment a bit longer, but I'm also self-aware enough to realize that I have almost zero willpower and there's small chance of my being successful. Oh, and I might possibly be developing an itty-bitty crush on one <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Winchester">Dean Winchester</a>. Maybe.<br />
<br />
***<br />
<br />
<b>What about y'all? Stressed out during this holiday season? Know a good way to battle a food craving? How do your pets react to the Cone of Shame? Irrationally excited about an upcoming release? Crushing on any fictional characters?</b><br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-33301585529045309862009-12-22T11:49:00.000-08:002009-12-22T11:49:11.315-08:00Review: Better Naughty Than Nice Anthology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://eharlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=20594" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/47750000/47752557.JPG" /></a>Every year from Thanksgiving to New Year's Day it's my unofficial Anthology Season. I gorge myself on holiday stories -- Christmas, Hanukkah, whatever -- and most tend to come in anthology format. This year's <a href="http://eharlequin.com/store.html?cid=192">Blaze</a> Christmas anthology, <b>Better Naughty Than Nice</b>, by Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jill Shalvis, and Rhonda Nelson provided the most solid of the new anthologies I've read this year. None of the stories wowed me, but I found all three to be pretty enjoyable. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/anthReview.pl?AnthReviewId=296" target="_blank">Click here to read my full review at AAR</a>. I also read this book as part of the <a href="http://katie-mack.blogspot.com/search/label/2009%20Holiday%20Reading%20Challenge">2009 Holiday Reading Challenge</a>.<br /></div>
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Disclosure: I purchased this book myself.<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-29435679168013722682009-12-21T12:38:00.000-08:002009-12-21T12:38:52.316-08:00Plugs and Sequel Setups: A Rant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=8929063748963369158&postID=2943567916801372268" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/crappy-bitch.jpg" width="200" /></a><br /></div>
<b>Warning: This post contains ranting and bitchiness. </b><br />
<br />
I think I'm becoming pickier the older I get. Either that, or I have a lower tolerance for bullshit. A few years ago I wouldn't have batted an eyelash when reading this section from <a href="http://www.amazon.com/His-Secret-Agenda-Harlequin-Superromance/dp/0373715919/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261426763&sr=1-1"><b>His Secret Agenda</b></a> by Beth Andrews:<br />
<blockquote>
"But," she continued when Dean remained silent, "if you have a problem
with people who've paid their dues to society, reconsider if you want
this job." And really, did she want someone so...judgmental working for
her? "One of my good friends spent time in prison and he stops by quite
often." <br />
<br />
Dillon Ward, Kelsey's brother, had served time for manslaughter
after killing their stepfather while protecting Kelsey. After his
release, Dillon had battled prejudice and his own guilt. Luckily, he'd
gotten past all of that and was now able to move forward in a
relationship with local bakery owner Nina Carlson.<br />
<br />
Allie smiled sweetly. "I wouldn't want any of his criminal tendencies to rub off on you." <br />
</blockquote>
But now when I encounter sections like this? Yeah, now that middle paragraph reads to me like a flashing neon sign, jerking me out of the story for what is an obvious commercial break. Within the space of a couple of pages, the author managed to plug both her previous releases -- although the other plug was a mite subtler than this one -- and had me gritting my teeth. (In all fairness, though, I did enjoy <b>His Secret Agenda</b> and bought both of Andrews' previous books, so clearly I wasn't <i><b>too</b></i> annoyed.)<br />
<br />
I also have to point out, as I'm sure all of you already know, that Andrews is <i><b>far</b></i> from the only author to plug previous books in the middle of a story, so I'm not picking on her specifically. Hers just happened to be the example I had at hand.<br />
<br />
Maybe it's just me, and nobody else is bothered by these advertisements right in the middle of the story. Or maybe you all are just as irritated as me and want to shout: <i>Don't plug your other books in </i>this<i> one, because frankly: I DON'T CARE. If I like the one I'm reading enough, I'll check out your other books. So, please, STOP with the commercials.</i><br />
<br />
Then there's the case of hijacking the current story for the sake of setting up the sequel. This <i><b>really</b></i> ticks me off. Now, I'm not referring to not-quite-subtle hints that there will be another book in the series. I can generally roll with those. No, I'm talking about an actual hijacking of the plot, such as what occurred in Donna Kauffman's novella <i><b>Lock, Stock, and Jingle Bells</b></i> in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kissing-Santa-Claus-Donna-Kauffman/dp/0758238843/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261427623&sr=8-1"><b>Kissing Santa Claus</b></a> anthology. As I said in <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/anthReview.pl?AnthReviewId=294">my review</a>:<br />
<blockquote>
But what really irked me, and dropped the grade a bit, was when the
author introduced a subplot midway through. At first I was intrigued,
and hoped the author was using it to help bring Sean and Holly
together. Uh, no. Turns out that the sole purpose of adding this little
mystery was so the author could establish an elaborate setup for a
future story. The ending that should have been devoted to Holly and
Sean’s romance – you know, the romance in <b><i>this</i></b> story – felt hijacked and I felt cheated.<br />
</blockquote>
This little "setup" dropped the grade from a C+ to a C-, and had me pretty irritated. When I've put the time and effort into reading a book, I expect a satisfactory conclusion. I don't expect to have the characters' story shoved to the side in favor of promoting a subplot that is entirely irrelevant to the characters' romance and conflict resolution. But maybe it's just me.<br />
<br />
With so many books containing obvious commercials, and others featuring obvious series/sequel setups, it's making me wonder if I'm the only reader irritated by this state of affairs. <b> </b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Do book plugs bother you, or do you like knowing that the author has another book out? </b></li>
<li><b>Does it take you out of the story when you read a plug for another book, or are you able to just ignore it? </b></li>
<li><b>Have you ever felt that the ending of a book was hijacked so that the author could setup the next book in the series?</b></li>
<li><b>How do you feel about obvious series/sequel setups?<br /></b></li>
<li><b>Am I just being a total bitch and this isn't worth ranting about? It's okay, you can tell me.</b></li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-43639826834130888282009-12-18T09:27:00.000-08:002009-12-22T11:50:04.016-08:00Review: Under the Covers Anthology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/finditem.cfm?itemid=14894" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/38220000/38226978.JPG" /></a>My review of the <b>Under the Covers</b> anthology by Crystal Jordan, Lorie O'Clare, and P.J. Mellor is up today over at AAR. I really enjoyed the Jordan and Mellor contributions -- <i><b>Naughty or Nice</b></i> and <i><b>Escaping Christmas</b></i>, respectively -- but O'Clare's <i><b>Nativity Island</b></i> didn't work for me at all. Despite one of the stories ranking pretty low, I'm happy to have discovered two new-to-me authors to read in the future. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/anthReview.pl?AnthReviewId=293" target="_blank">Click here to read my full review</a>. I also read this book as part of the <a href="http://katie-mack.blogspot.com/search/label/2009%20Holiday%20Reading%20Challenge">2009 Holiday Reading Challenge</a>.<br /></div>
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Disclosure: I received this book free as an <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/home.html">AAR</a> reviewer. <br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-37788089207306302262009-12-16T17:25:00.000-08:002009-12-22T12:10:22.779-08:00Review: Eye of the Storm by Delilah Devlin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://ebooks.eharlequin.com/D9FF337F-72D4-412F-B389-C27D15F80591/10/126/en/ContentDetails.htm?ID=8FEA691A-7779-49F9-BD8C-1D11A2D5360C" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.contentreserve.com/ImageType-200/1071-1/%7B8FEA691A-7779-49F9-BD8C-1D11A2D5360C%7DImg200.jpg" /></a><br /></div>
Title: Eye of the Storm<br />
Author: Delilah Devlin<br />
Genre: Erotic Fiction<br />
Length: Short Story<br />
Published: August 2009<br />
Sensuality: Burning<br />
Setting: Jamaica<br />
Disclosure: Purchased Myself<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>One year ago, Marcus healed Janie's broken heart with his love. Now she
has returned to Jamaica to see if their passion is as strong as before.
Then Marcus's friend Cade shows up, too. Janie never really liked Cade,
but when Marcus asks her to take them </i>both <i>to her bedroom, Janie soon learns that the two men know</i> exactly<i> what she needs....</i><br />
<br />
<b>Warning: This review contains spoilers.</b><br />
<br />
The biggest issue I had with <b>Eye of the Storm</b> -- really, the <i>only</i> issue -- is that the heroine doesn't begin enjoying herself until the very end. The end, as in, <i>after</i> the sex is over. She really doesn't like Cade, and doesn't want to have sex with him, but she so desperately wants to please Marcus that she goes along with it.<br />
<br />
During the entire sex scene -- which, given that this is an erotica short, is virtually the entire story -- Janie is visibly distressed and on the verge of tears. Marcus, who's supposed to love Janie, can tell she's distressed, but what does he do? He tells her to pretend it's him doing her and not Cade. Seriously? Maybe it's just me, but that doesn't seem like a great way to treat someone you're supposed to love.<br />
<br />
After the sex -- which Janie physically enjoyed, but was emotionally distraught about the whole way through -- Janie breaks down in tears and admits to feeling used by the two men. I couldn't blame her; being used is exactly how it felt to me too. The two men then proceed to soothe her feelings and proclaim their love and commitment to her, but it was too little, too late for this reader. I just couldn't get the bad taste out of my mouth. What would have worked far better, in my opinion, is if this soothing had taken place <i>before</i> the sex. Because frankly, if the character herself isn't enjoying the sex, I'm sure as hell not enjoying it as the reader. <br />
<br />
<b>Eye of the Storm</b> is solidly in D-territory for me, but I vacillated about exactly where in the D-range it falls -- mostly because, while I had problems with the plot and characters, I had no problem with the writing style. Ultimately I decided to just grade it down the middle. <b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Grade: D</b><br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-88902248008170960872009-12-15T08:17:00.000-08:002009-12-22T11:50:04.018-08:00Review: Kissing Santa Claus Anthology<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8929063748963369158" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/38220000/38226990.JPG" /></a></div>
My review of the <b>Kissing Santa Claus</b> anthology by Donna Kauffman, Jill Shalvis, and HelenKay Dimon is up over at AAR. I had high hopes for this Christmas collection, but two of the stories turned out to be meh. I did, however, really like the Jill Shalvis entry, <b><i>Bah Handsome!</i></b>, so I'll keep the anthology just so I can re-read that one next year. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/anthReview.pl?AnthReviewId=294">Click here to read my full review</a>.<br />
<br />
Disclosure: I received this book free as an <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/">AAR</a> reviewer. <br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips2.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-2452955688136968372009-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-22T11:50:04.019-08:00Review: Tie Me Down by Tracy Wolff<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/39220000/39226853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/39220000/39226853.JPG" /></a><br /></div>
My review of <b>Tie Me Down</b> by Tracy Wolff went up this weekend at AAR. Overall I thought this was a nice blend of erotica and romantic suspense, despite a couple of issues. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7638">Click here to read my full review</a>. I'll definitely check out the author's next release, <b>Tease Me</b>, which is coming in April. <br />
<br />
Disclosure: This was a free book I received as an <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/home.html">AAR</a> reviewer.<br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-19447636755317311362009-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-14T08:00:00.398-08:00Music Monday: Stairway to Gilligan's IslandIn 1978, San Francisco pop rock band <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Roger_and_the_Goosebumps">Little Roger and the Goosebumps</a> recorded "Stairway to Gilligan's Island," which, you guessed it, combines the classic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Led_zeppelin">Led Zeppelin</a> song "Stairway to Heaven" with the theme song to the <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilligan%27s_Island">Gilligan's Island</a></i> television show.<br />
<br />
Within weeks of the song's release, Led Zeppelin's lawyers threatened to sue the band, and demanded that all copies of the song be destroyed. Odd, then, that in 2005 Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant named "Stairway to Gilligan's Island" his favorite "Stairway to Heaven" cover song. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Sorry for the audio quality of this video, but it's the best a/v combination available.)</span><br />
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<embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KTCYLbFxTpI&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="400" height="331"></embed></object><br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-82418399628682640752009-12-11T13:55:00.000-08:002009-12-11T14:02:54.712-08:00Rambling Ponderings on Authenticity<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="http://www.barringtonstoke.co.uk/images/category/standard/%7BD6BD57F1-34ED-423C-9404-416DE6D5952F%7D_Reality_Check_logo.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
Sometime back, somewhere in my Internet travels, I read a comment by an aspiring author that said something like:<br />
<blockquote>
"Because I'm a virgin I've been worried that my sex scenes won't be very good, but your comments have given me back my confidence!"<br />
</blockquote>
I admit, my first reaction upon reading that was to think, <i>yeah right, those scenes are going to suck bad if she's never even experienced sex herself.</i><br />
<br />
Then I pondered my very <strike>bitchy</strike> cynical reaction.<br />
<br />
I'm all for authors having the freedom to write about experiences they've never had -- occupations, places, people, etc. If all authors only wrote what they themselves had directly experienced, the book world would be a hell of a lot less diverse than it is. I want to read about firefighters and treasure hunters and lawyers, and most authors have never, and will never, hold one of these jobs. I want to read books set in Alaska and New York City and 18th century London, and I don't particularly care if the author hasn't ever lived in that place, in that time, as long as the setting<i> feels</i> authentic to me as the reader.<br />
<br />
But here's the thing: Even if an author researches her butt off, she's still likely to get some of the details wrong. There are just some things that you don't know until you experience it firsthand -- and you don't know what you don't know -- so it's almost inevitable that an author will get <i>something</i> wrong. It may be a minor thing, or it may be a major thing, but either way, if it's a subject that you, as the reader, knows very well, the inauthenticity of it is going to pull you out of the story.<br />
<br />
Then again, the majority of readers won't have a clue that the author got something wrong, nor will they care. Because, like authors, most readers haven't had firsthand experience with all the occupations and places featured in books. I've never been a firefighter or treasure hunter or lawyer; I've never been to Alaska or New York City or 18th century London. So the only time this issue arises for us readers is when the book we pick up happens to be one of those featuring something we are intimately familiar with. Otherwise we remain happily clueless.<br />
<br />
As I see it, the big problem facing the virgin writer above is that the overwhelming majority of her readers have experienced sex, and they're going to know if she gets it wrong. <br />
<br />
But, wait. It's not like Romance Novel Sex is completely realistic in the first place, is it? We have Magically Orgasming heroines and Expert Sex God heroes, and romance couples never get sand in uncomfortable places after sex on the beach. There's no awkwardness or pain or messy bodily fluids or not-so-sexy noises. It's a perfect, rose-colored view of sex, and much of it ain't exactly realistic, although I do think the realism has improved over the years.<br />
<br />
So, if the writer in question relies on the conventions of the genre, will her sex scenes read authentically to readers?<br />
<br />
Part of me thinks she could fake it, but the bigger part of me thinks the scenes will feel "off" in some way. Why? Because, as a reader who started reading romances long before having sex, I know that I didn't really "get it" until I experienced it. Sure, I understood the basic mechanics from sex-ed classes, and I'd read a gazillion romance novel sex scenes, but it was all still rather hazy and indistinct. It didn't click until I did it. Hell, it didn't fully click until I'd done it a lot more than once.<br />
<br />
TMI? Anyway, moving on... <br />
<br />
What about female m/m authors? The m/m romance and m/m erotic romance genres are rapidly growing, and it seems like most of the authors and readers are heterosexual women. Do these authors' m/m sex scenes read inauthentically given that they've never experienced m/m sex, let alone what it's like to be a gay man? As I'm not a gay man, I don't really know. But that's exactly my point: If most of their readers are straight women, they're not going to know either, will they? Which means that <i>most</i> readers aren't going to be bitching afterward about how the author "got it all wrong." And hell hath no fury like ticked off readers.<br />
<br />
Which brings me back to my main conclusion: That the biggest problem the virgin writer is facing is the fact that she's relying on books, research, and her imagination, whereas most of her audience will have firsthand, intimate experience with the subject at hand. Even with Romance Novel Sex conventions on her side, she's fighting an uphill battle to convince readers of the realism of her sex scenes. <br />
<br />
<b>Thoughts? Agree? Disagree? Do you think authors can ever write a truly authentic experience they've never had?</b><br />
<br />
_________________<br />
For further reading on the subject of writing and authenticity from a reader's perspective, check out Lynn Spencer's post <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=1094">All in a Day's Work</a>, and Rike Horstmann's <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/blog/?p=1036">Familiar Territory</a>.<br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 2em;" /><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips.png" /><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-29741089733775145982009-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-10T08:00:08.843-08:00Boys and Fire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://husk.org/apps/flame/flame.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="1" height="100" src="http://husk.org/apps/flame/flame.jpg" width="100" /></a></div>
So ... the other night I'm on the phone with Dear Boyfriend while I'm reading through some of the blog posts that have been accumulating in my feed reader. I come across <a href="http://jillshalvis.com/blog/2009/11/19/a-very-special-i-love-lucy-text/" target="_blank">this post</a> by <a href="http://jillshalvis.com/blog/" target="_blank">Jill Shalvis</a>, and it amuses me, so I share it with DB:<br />
<br />
<b>ME: </b>Hey, here's something funny. This author is blogging about her oldest daughter at UCLA. She said her daughter sent her a text message that read:
<blockquote>
“My professor just asked if anyone has ever lit their farts on fire,
because we’re learning about methane. I started laughing and everyone
just stared at me. Lecture class of 250 …"
</blockquote>
The author says:
<blockquote>
"Poor thing. Of course she started laughing. She was raised by a wolf, aka Alpha Man. We sent her away to college to get educated, and what she’s learning is that her family is a little crazy…"
</blockquote>
Heh, heh. Funny, huh?<br />
<br />
<b>DB:</b> [silence]<br />
<br />
<b>ME:</b> So ... you know. Her dad must have lit his farts on fire. Heh, heh.<br />
<br />
<b>DB:</b> [silence]<br />
<br />
<b>ME:</b> You've lit your farts on fire, haven't you?<br />
<br />
<b>DB:</b> Who hasn't?<br />
<br /><img imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips.png" /></img><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-53104145999419135772009-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:002009-12-09T13:45:53.877-08:00Texting Fun with MomSometimes my mother really cracks me up, and it's not always intentional on her part. Such as this text message exchange from last night:<br />
<br />
<b>MOM:</b> we have power!!<br />
<br />
<b>ME:</b> awesome! i didn't know it was out.<br />
<br />
<b>MOM:</b> since sunday<br />
<br />
<b>ME:</b> sucky<br />
<br />
<b>MOM:</b> yws but now i am ib n the bath. aawesom<br />
<br />
<b>ME:</b> r u also imbibing alcohol?<br />
<br />
<b>MOM:</b> not since 10 am<br />
<br />
___________<br />
My mother is not a lush. Really, she's not. She just likes her Irish Coffee. You know, in the morning.<br />
<br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips.png" /></img><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-25571506243401701022009-12-08T13:41:00.000-08:002009-12-22T12:10:49.176-08:00Review: Gobsmacked by L.B. Gregg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://lbgregg.com/gobsmacked.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://64.225.155.55/mindwise/books/big_Gregg-Gobsmacked.jpg" width="150" /></a><br /></div>
Title: Gobsmacked<br />
Author: L.B. Gregg<br />
Genre: M/M Erotic Romance<br />
Length: 38,485 words (~109-153 min)<br />
Published: 2009<br />
Sensuality: Burning<br />
Setting: Upstate New York<br />
Series: Men of Smithfield #1<br />
Disclosure: Purchased Myself<br />
<br />
<i>Mild mannered Mark Meehan’s good judgment flies out the
window when he finds his lover banging another man. Things go from bad
to worse as Mark’s crazy revenge scheme uncovers shocking
secrets—sending him straight into the arms of hunky lawman and old
friend, Tony Gervase, a man of limited patience and secrets of his own.</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://lbgregg.com/gobsmacked.html"><b>Gobsmacked</b></a> is the first novella in L.B. Gregg's <a href="http://www.lbgregg.com/index.html"><i>Men of Smithfield</i></a> series, and the bottom line is that it was just plain fun to read. It's told in the first person narrative (past tense), which works very well due to Mark's dry, humorous POV. For the first part of the story I alternated between laughing out loud, and gasping "Oh no he <i>didn't</i>!" When the romantic and suspense elements of the plot come to the forefront, the tale, while still humorous, is less funny and a bit edgier. Mark must deal with the fallout of his actions and the mystery he's been thrown into, as well as his renewed feelings for Tony. The change in tone worked quite well as the plot moves from being a funny scorned-lover-revenge-scheme to something darker and heavier.<br />
<br />
<b>Gobsmacked</b> is one of those stories that doesn't fit neatly under labels such as Erotica or Romantic Suspense. It's officially labeled Erotica, but it feels more like a gay man's version of Chick Lit -- Dude Lit? -- combined with light-hearted-edgy Romantic Suspsense, and a shot of Erotica mixed in with all of that. Like I said -- conventional genre labels don't fit. <br />
<br />
Regardless of the label it's given, <b>Gobsmacked</b> is highly entertaining, and I'm very much looking forward to the next two installments in the series, <a href="http://lbgregg.com/happy_ending.html"><b>Happy Ending</b></a> and <a href="http://lbgregg.com/cover_me.html"><b>Cover Me</b></a>.<br />
<br />
<b>Grade: B</b><br />
<img imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 2em; margin-bottom: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://i641.photobucket.com/albums/uu140/katie-mack/kmglips.png" /></img><br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-24412155115240906942009-12-07T10:34:00.000-08:002009-12-22T11:50:04.021-08:00Review: Make Her Pay by Roxanne St. Claire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.roxannestclaire.com/make_her_pay.html" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="1" src="http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/41080000/41082094.JPG" /></a></div>
My review of <b>Make Her Pay</b> by Roxanne St. Claire is up today over at AAR. Of the eight books in the <i>Bullet Catchers</i> series, this one is my favorite. I especially loved the hero and heroine, and I was all over the treasure hunting mystery plot. I know St. Claire is coming out with a new series from a different publisher next year, so it appears that the <i>Bullet Catchers</i> are on hiatus -- or might possibly be over. If it turns out that the series is over, I'll be sad, but at least the <i>Bullet Catchers</i> will have gone out with a good one. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7634">Click here to read my full review</a>.<br />
<br />
Disclosure: I purchased this book myself.<br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-23109203539072022782009-12-02T18:14:00.000-08:002009-12-02T18:21:17.382-08:00November '09 in Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.zamaxfield.com/website/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ZAM_CrossingBorders_coverlg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.zamaxfield.com/website/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/ZAM_CrossingBorders_coverlg.jpg" width="133" /></a><br /></div>
November was by far my lowest reading month for the past two and a half years, which doesn't surprise me. For the whole month I was busier than in the past. Then there's the fact that during the first part of the month I was just coming out of a reading slump, and during the second half I became addicted to <a href="http://www.cwtv.com/shows/supernatural">Supernatural</a> -- which had a significant impact on my available reading time. <br />
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In all, here are my stats for the month:
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<b>Novels:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Tempted</b> by Megan Hart - This one was interesting. It was like women's fiction with a dose of erotica. It was different enough from my usual reading material to help break me out of my slump, so I'm very grateful for that, but I hesitate to give it a grade because I'm not totally sure about my feelings.<br /></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7622">Breakfast in Bed</a></b> by Robin Kaye - Click book title to read review.<br /></li>
<li><b>Tie Me Down</b> by Tracy Wolff - Review Forthcoming<br /></li>
<li><b><a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7616">Captain's Surrender</a></b> by Alex Beecroft - Click book title to read review.<br /></li>
<li><b>Make Her Pay</b> by Roxanne St. Claire - Review Forthcoming</li>
<li><b>Crossing Borders</b> by Z.A. Maxfield - I loved this book. It's one of the best erotic romances I've read (emphasis on romance), but given that it's M/M, it certainly won't be for everyone. I'm very grateful to one of the posters on the AAR message boards for recommending this one.<br /></li>
<li><b>Under the Covers</b> anthology by Jordan, O'Clare, and Mellor - Review Forthcoming<br /></li>
</ul>
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<b>Novellas:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Making Waves</b> by Pepper Espinoza - I really liked this one; solid B-level territory. It's the story of an A-list actor who's very much in the closet, and the openly gay brother of his fiancee. <br /></li>
</ul>
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<b>Short-Stories:</b><br />
<ul>
<li><b>This Is What I Want</b> by Megan Hart</li>
<li><b>Four O'Clock</b> by Pepper Espinoza</li>
<li><b>And to Hold...</b> by Pepper Espinoza</li>
<li><b>Playing the Game</b> by Megan Hart</li>
<li><b>All You Can Eat</b> by Megan Hart</li>
<li><b>After Class</b> by Megan Hart</li>
<li><b>Opening the Door</b> by Megan Hart</li>
<li><b>Peanut Butter Kisses</b> by Pepper Espinoza</li>
</ul>
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(You probably noticed the crap-load of stories by Hart and Espinoza. After I read the latest Hart, <b>Newly Fallen</b>, I'm planning on doing mini-reviews by author for all these short-stories.)<br />
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Despite the length of this list, only 7 of the titles were full novels, and at least a couple of the short-stories were short enough to be read in 15-20 minutes. Combining the short-stories and the novella would only add another 1-2 novels to the list, which is why this is my lowest month in a very long time.<br />
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Despite the low quantity of words, however, it was a very good reading month on an enjoyment scale. Grade-wise, 3 of the titles are in the C-range, 1 of the anthology stories was in the D-range, but everything else was B-range or higher, so that's very good.<br />
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<b>How was your November reading month?</b><br />
<br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-31622543709957855842009-12-01T10:12:00.000-08:002009-12-22T11:50:04.023-08:00Review: Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://alexbeecroft.com/captains-surrender/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 0.02em; margin-right: 0.9em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://i186.photobucket.com/albums/x163/Wulfwaru/CaptainsSurrender350.jpg" width="135" /></a></div>
My review of <b>Captain's Surrender</b> by Alex Beecroft went up yesterday over at AAR. I loved this book, and immediately had to buy Beecroft's <b>False Colors</b> after I finished this one.<br />
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Set in 1779, Josh and Peter are sailors in the British Navy, serving aboard a ship headed for Bermuda. In addition to the danger they face from the sadistic Captain Walker -- who suspects them of being homosexual, which is punishable by death -- they also face danger from pirates and possible mutiny aboard their ship. I was so utterly engrossed in this book from the first page that every time I had to set it down I couldn't wait to get back. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7616">Click here to read my full review</a>.<br />
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Disclosure: I purchased this book myself.<br />
<br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-20593002987588232592009-11-30T05:00:00.000-08:002009-11-30T08:53:27.506-08:00Music Monday: Hedwig and the Angry Inch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my favorite albums is the soundtrack from the movie <b><i>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</i></b>, which is based on the musical of the same name. Ranging from hard rock to sugar pop, each song tells a piece of Hedwig's story. <br />
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Hedwig began as Hansel, an East German teenager who fell in love with a U.S. soldier. But in order for Luther and Hansel to marry and escape communist East Germany, Hansel had to have a sex-change operation and take his mother's name, Hedwig. The operation is botched, leaving Hedwig with a scarred, dysfunctional one-inch mound of flesh -- the "angry inch" of the title. Hedwig and Luther move to the U.S., but on their one-year anniversary Luther leaves Hedwig for a man. <br />
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Hedwig forms a band comprised of fellow Army wives and performs at VA halls, before meeting angsty teenager Tommy. Hedwig falls in love with Tommy, but he leaves her to become a popular rock star, stealing songs written by Hedwig, and failing to give her credit for songs they co-wrote. Angered by the betrayal, Hedwig forms a new band, The Angry Inch, and follows Tommy on tour, with Hedwig and the Angry Inch performing at restaurants and coffee shops and trying to garner media attention.<br />
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The clip below is of the song "Wig in a Box." Before leaving her, Luther often gave Hedwig wigs of different styles, which she would use to dress up and act out different characters. For that period of time, she can be anyone she wants to be -- instead of being Hedwig.<br />
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The clip below is of my favorite song from the movie, "The Origin of Love." The song is a take on Aristophanes' speech at the <i>Plato Symposium</i>, a satirical explanation for the three sexual orientations (heterosexual, gay, lesbian).<br />
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The song tells a tale of early humans who were once two-faced, four-armed, four-legged creatures. Some were two men together, some two women, and some were a man and woman together. After angering the gods, Zeus cut humans in half, separating the two beings. Humans were then filled with the desire to seek out their other halves -- their soulmates, if you will. When the two halves try to fit themselves back together, they're making love.<br />
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With interesting animation interspersed with shots of Hedwig and the band, the song has emotion and energy behind it that makes for compelling music.<br />
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<b>Have you seen <i>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</i>? Are there any movie soundtracks you enjoy listening to?</b><br />
<br />Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8929063748963369158.post-27811096873902984732009-11-25T08:58:00.000-08:002009-12-22T11:50:04.024-08:00Review: Breakfast in Bed by Robin Kaye<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My review of the latest in Robin Kaye's <i>Domestic Gods</i> series is up over at AAR. Overall I had an enjoyable time with <b>Breakfast in Bed</b> -- despite a couple of issues -- and will check out the first two books in the series. I actually have <b>Too Hot to Handle</b> on my TBR shelf, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=7622">Click here to read my full review</a>.<br /><br />
Disclosure: This was a free ARC I received as an <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/home.html">AAR</a> reviewer.Katie Mackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10094236956287511024noreply@blogger.com0