November '09 in Review

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 Supernatural -- which had a significant impact on my available reading time.

In all, here are my stats for the month:

Novels:

• Tempted 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.
  
• Breakfast in Bed by Robin Kaye - Click book title to read review.
  
• Tie Me Down by Tracy Wolff - Review Forthcoming
  
• Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft - Click book title to read review.
  
• Make Her Pay by Roxanne St. Claire - Review Forthcoming
• Crossing Borders 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.
  
• Under the Covers anthology by Jordan, O'Clare, and Mellor - Review Forthcoming
  

Novellas:

• Making Waves 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.
  

Short-Stories:

• This Is What I Want by Megan Hart
• Four O'Clock by Pepper Espinoza
• And to Hold... by Pepper Espinoza
• Playing the Game by Megan Hart
• All You Can Eat by Megan Hart
• After Class by Megan Hart
• Opening the Door by Megan Hart
• Peanut Butter Kisses by Pepper Espinoza

(You probably noticed the crap-load of stories by Hart and Espinoza. After I read the latest Hart, Newly Fallen, I'm planning on doing mini-reviews by author for all these short-stories.)

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.

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.

How was your November reading month?

Review: Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft

My review of Captain's Surrender by Alex Beecroft went up yesterday over at AAR. I loved this book, and immediately had to buy Beecroft's False Colors after I finished this one.

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. Click here to read my full review.

Disclosure: I purchased this book myself.

Music Monday: Hedwig and the Angry Inch

One of my favorite albums is the soundtrack from the movie Hedwig and the Angry Inch, 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.

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.

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.

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.



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 Plato Symposium, a satirical explanation for the three sexual orientations (heterosexual, gay, lesbian).

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.

With interesting animation interspersed with shots of Hedwig and the band, the song has emotion and energy behind it that makes for compelling music.



Have you seen Hedwig and the Angry Inch? Are there any movie soundtracks you enjoy listening to?

Review: Breakfast in Bed by Robin Kaye

My review of the latest in Robin Kaye's Domestic Gods series is up over at AAR. Overall I had an enjoyable time with Breakfast in Bed -- despite a couple of issues -- and will check out the first two books in the series. I actually have Too Hot to Handle on my TBR shelf, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Click here to read my full review.

Disclosure: This was a free ARC I received as an AAR reviewer.

Music Monday: Songs That Make Me Dance

Last week I was digging through my CD collection looking for something to clean the house to, when I came upon the forgotten CD of one of my favorite dance tunes. Since cleaning requires energy, I need music that energizes me -- which means songs that make me want to move.  When one of my "dancing songs" comes on the radio, it doesn't matter if I'm at home or in my car, you can bet I'm shaking my groove thang.

So that got me thinking about which songs make up the Top 5 Songs That Make Katie Dance, and I came up with a list. I was a bit surprised to discover that the most recent song on my list is from 1989, and the oldest is a full 50 years older at 1939. It's not that there haven't been songs released in the last 20 years that make me wanna dance (Single Ladies, anyone?), it's just that I've heard them so much they've lost their oomph. Additionally, three of the songs on my list have nostalgic memories associated with them -- either from a favorite movie or favorite activity.

I'm sure that as soon as I publish this post, I'll think of another song to add, but that's the problem with making lists. So, without further ado -- and before I change my mind -- here's my as-of-right-now Top 5 Songs That Make Me Dance:

(The song title hyperlinks will take you to YouTube. The other links will take you...other places.)

#5 Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard (1987)

Even though it's become the clichéd anthem of the MTV Spring Break crowd -- and the karaoke bar scene -- every time I hear this song I crank up the volume and start my dirty stripper grind moves. Yeah, yeah. Keep laughing.

#4 Move This by Technotronic (1989)

Way back when I was in high school, my sisters and I attended a dance school. During our freestyling and warm-ups, the instructor would play this song to get us all moving. To this day, whenever I hear this song I've just gotta "shake that body."

#3 Don't Leave Me This Way by Thelma Houston (1976)

I have no idea how this song first came on my radar; I just know that it's my all-time favorite from the disco era. When this song plays, I turn into a singing, dancing fool. Which is rather unfortunate for anyone in the vicinity, as I am pathetically tone-deaf. At least I can dance. I think.

#2 In the Mood by the Glenn Miller Orchestra (1939)

My love affair with this song began with one of the greatest movies of all time: Cannery Row starring Nick Nolte and Debra Winger. Based on two of John Steinbeck's novels, Cannery Row and Sweet Thursday, the film features the romance between marine biologist Doc and prostitute Suzy. One of the best scenes of the film is when Doc and Suzy dance to "In the Mood." As narrator John Huston so aptly describes, "It never occurred to them that maybe they weren't any good."

#1 Twist and Shout by The Beatles (1964)

What is there to say? I think this clip from the iconic Ferris Bueller's Day Off speaks for itself.

So come on, tell me: What songs just make you wanna get up and dance? It's okay, you can admit them.

Pinups and Totes and Aprons, Oh My!

I just finished a bit of online shopping indulgence, and seeing as how this weekend I have no one else to show off my purchases to, I'm going to show them off to BlogLand. Not that any of you actually care, but for the moment I'm going to pretend you do.

Since I always seem to be carrying an armful of books wherever I go, I decided I needed a tote bag to make things easier. I checked out the local big box stores, but nothing captured my interest. So I went online to Etsy. That's where I stumbled upon My Great Gifts.

I have quite a thing for vintage and vintage-inspired clothing and accessories, so I was all excited to find this cute pinup tote bag:

And that's not all I found: My Great Gifts also makes vintage-inspired aprons! Of course, with the holidays coming up -- and my mind filling with images of me cooking Thanksgiving pecan pie while decked out in a cute apron -- I totally rationalized my purchase. I took a while to decide between these two:

Although I love the 1940s style of aprons (the one on the right), it was the cherry print, polka-dots, and red ruffle trim that eventually sold me on the bib-style one.

I fully plan to bring the apron to Mom's for Thanksgiving kitchen duty. About half the women in attendance will likely mock me for being so outdated as to wear an apron, *coughmysisterscough*, and the other half will fawn over my très cute kitchen attire.

So, where do you stand: Are aprons outdated or hip?

P.S. After I purchased my cherry print apron, I discovered Boojiboo's shop. I may need to increase my apron-buying budget. Seriously.

Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Mo

Last year, I read every single book I checked out from the library. Every single one. This year, I'm lucky if I have the time to read any of them before the 3 week loan period is up. The problem is that I'm still checking out the same number of books, I'm just far busier now than I was a year ago.

Right this very minute I have seven books checked out from the library, all of which I want to read, but with a stack of review books and all of the books I own sitting in my TBR pile, the reality is that I'll probably only read one or two of these before I have to return them. (Most I can't renew because there's a waiting list.) So I need some help in choosing which of these seven books I should make the biggest effort for.

"A comedy of manners set in Victorian London: full of werewolves, vampires, dirigibles, and tea-drinking." I normally avoid paranormals, but the completely awesome cover of Gail Carriger's Soulless hooked me. Well, that and all the good reviews I read. When Blythe, who like me normally avoids vampires like the plague, told me that she really enjoyed this book, I thought that it might just be worth breaking my vampire ban for.

I heard about His Secret Agenda by Beth Andrews over on Wendy's blog, and it interested me for pretty much one reason only: the heroine is a former lawyer turned bar owner. This is so totally up my alley that I didn't even read the back cover blurb before borrowing it. Apparently the hero is some kind of undercover agent and he thinks the heroine is hiding something, which apparently, she is. Whatever. The heroine owns a bar. 'Nuff said.

Dirty by Megan Hart was also recommended by Wendy. I read Tempted by Hart a couple of weeks ago, and it was a nice change of pace from all the romances I've been reading. Wendy described the plot of Dirty as "a self-destructive heroine who wields sex like a weapon meets her match in the hero, a man determined to love her. Whether she wants him to or not...." Sounds great. Now, if only I can find the time to read it.

Stolen Heat by Elisabeth Naughton attracted my attention when fellow AAR reviewer Emma gave it a great review. I love Adventure Romances, plus my first few years of college were spent as an anthropology major, so an action-adventure romance featuring an Egyptologist heroine just screamed my name. I know this is part of a series, but I'm hoping it stands alone well.

I've read exactly one Mary Kay Andrews book before -- Savannah Blues -- and while I enjoyed it, I didn't love it. I'm not sure what prompted me to check out The Fixer Upper, other than seeing it on several people's Eagerly Awaiting lists. Of all the books on this list, this is the least likely to get read. But if I hear a great recommendation, maybe I'll bump it up on the priority scale.

I borrowed Never Love a Lawman by Jo Goodman because I've never read a Western (romance, that is), and I heard many good things about this one. Although it features a will-stipulation plot, I'm still interested. Who knows, maybe the author can sell it. Also, the hero is a sheriff named Wyatt, so that's got to be good, right?

Last, but not least, is Bad Moon Rising by Katherine Sutcliffe. This book also made Wendy's Top 16 list, which is what brought it to my attention. A romantic suspense set in New Orleans (+), featuring a disgraced recovering alcoholic hero (++), and a heroine who's a former prostitute (+++). How can I not read this book? It's got my name written all over it. At this point, this is the book that's leading the pack for my attention.

So tell me: Any books on this list that I absolutely, positively must make sure I read? Any I should just forget about, or save for another time?