Excited and a Great Readers dinner

We had our monthly dinner meeting tonight, and as usual, it was wonderful! I never knew how great it was to meet with friends and discuss books and authors until I started going to tea nine years ago. And the monthly dinners are even better. No chance of being overheard and dinner with friends is always nice. Besides they help cook and bring goodies *g*. We had two guests this month -- due to a death in the family in April, we had to cancel our April dinner, so we just doubled our fun in May. Our guests were very different, writing different types of romances and yet both have an avid following within our group.

Holly Jacobs can't help it, she writes funny. And believe me, she is as much fun in person (or on the phone) as she is on the printed page. We got the inside scoop on her dealings with the vendetta the suicidal chipmunks are waging on her, as well as a glimpse into future books after she finishes off two series she's working on now. It was a wonderful conversation -- sorry I kept knocking over the phone, Holly!

My only problem is how to get to read her Avalon series. I don't go to the library --something about not returning books in time, they are so unreasonable. But I'll figure something out. The book set in the front seat of a truck, survival style, sounds delicious!


Our second guest, Catherine Anderson writes books that make you cry and hug your kids and significant other when you're finished reading. And she even has historicals that our P (who is NOT a historical fan) will read and rave about. Her current book -- MY SUNSHINE -- takes the reader into a life which has some physical limitations but in the end is fulfilling with more opportunities than having a perfect body could offer. Even though I cried, it was a great read! And Ms. Anderson took us into the background of how she writes and develops the rich characters she details in her stories. We also got to hear about the book she's working on now, another historical at long last and the novella she's done for a November anthology about a NOT CURSED but spelled (in a good way) wedding dress. Can't wait. And sorry, Catherine, didn't mean to keep knocking you into the banana pudding! Honest!

As for my excitement, well, well.


And last but least, I got the not-yet-released Kim Harrison book -- and I'm gonna be reading it tonight. I don't care how late it is when I start, that book is going down! And by george it better be good! The other readers said it is WONNNDERRRRFUL. So, I've got to see, or in this case read it to believe it. Let you all know, okay?

Other great trades include ENCHANTED INC by Shanna Swendson -- she's a local Dallas author and it got great reviews, and MaryJanice Davidson book. Some good stuff waiting for me to read. I'm excited. So now for a last piece of ooey gooey chocolate cake, a glass of milk and a night's reading!

Harlequin changes...

I wrote a quick article on the demise of the Harlequin Temptation and now, I hear the two romance lines from H/S are closing down as well. But talking with G this morning I realized something -- it isn't the death so much as a transformation. The old formula isn't working so well, they need to go with a new one! Instead of baby books, they need to push the whine of the urban 20/30/40 and 50? something. And in first person as well. ::sigh:: I'm too old for this, that is why fantasy/scifi is so appealing for my current reading.

So instead of reading last night, I went awandering through my book cases looking for some old favorite Temptations. Of course, I managed to get trapped by some of my old keepers -- mostly the Jayne Ann Krentz's like GHOST OF A CHANCE which I love!

So what do you think of the changes? Always difficult but on a bright note, change of blood means new stories and voices!

Unzipped

I've just finished reading Lois Greiman's first mystery novel Unzipped and it is very entertaining. I realized just how much I liked it when I immediately started reading the teaser chapter for the next one at the end. Normally, I skip those because I don't want to be tormented by the wait until its release since it can be up to a year away.

Anyway, this book will hit the shelves on May 31st. If you're looking for a recommendation, pick this one up.

Harry Hunsicker - local Dallas mystery author

Harry is a local Dallas author with a debut mystery out this month from Minotaur. You've got to be at least intrigued by his protagonist name -- after all, Oswald is such a "Dallas" name.


Still Water has been highly recommended by the local community leader for the Dallas Barnes and Noble and a local mystery readers group. Anyone read it yet?

~sara

Monday Musings, or stuff to do this week

After downing two nice mugs of wonderful Central Market java, I'm ready to face the week. And for me, that means the infamous, demanding, annoying, but necessary TO DO list!

So, what will we be doing this week?

Posting a ton (well, it feels that way) of reviews for June books.

Publishing our weekly newsletter on Tuesday.

Adding the books from the two big mystery confabs -- the Agathas and the Edgars.

Adding comments (wouldn't that be nice if it actually worked this time)

Nudging the search function to return good stuff, I actually think I figured that one out. Yeah, right.

Adding the poll.

Add books, add books, add books. Ah, the life of data gatherer is NEVER done.

So, off to pet the dog, drink one more cup and work, work, work.

Here I am!

I made it! I am ready to post and add comments!

What am I reading...

Actually I just finished a great book called Lamb: The Gospel According to Christ's Childhood Pal Biff by Christopher Moore. It was a fun and wacky look at the years of Christ between 6 yrs. old and 35ish, the "missing years" from the bible. You follow Biff and Josh (Jesus) through their young adulthood while they discover the mysteries of sin, buddhism, etc. It is written from Biff's point of view, he has been resurrected in the present day to write his gospel. Christopher Moore has several other titles that look equally as fun, so I will be working my way through them.

I am reading Wicked by Shannon Drake, a Beauty and the Beast based romance. I am enjoying the tie in with Egyptology.

And speaking of Egyptology, the newest Amelia Peabody mystery The Serpent on the Crown by Elizabeth Peters was fantastic! I'm a big Amelia fan (meaning I buy the books in hardback as soon as they come out, no waiting for paperbacks!). I love watching Amelia's character evolve as her family evolves around her.

That's all I have for now, I should get back to work!

T.

What are you reading?

OK I just figured out how to get signed up for this blog so here I am. Since I was already a Blogger member it was pretty easy. I'm going to try to post these weekly. And feel free to give us your comments!

Time for my weekly update on what I'm reading...

I FINALLY found time to finish Konig Cursebreakers and really enjoyed it. In this one, Brenna Lyons is telling two stories in one as well. I've only read a few of hers so far, but of the three I read, two were like this, where half the story is about one couple and half the story is about another, though they both tie in together. This book tells the continuing story of siblings Hunter and Erin Konig. Now for my review to get written. LOL

I started Loki's Sin by Saje Williams a few days ago and it is quite interesting. I guess I'd class it as an urban fantasy, with an interesting paranormal thread through it. I'm looking forward to reading farther in this one.

I finished Celtic Fire by Joy Nash, her debut Dorchester book and it was really good as well. Now I just need to write my review of it.

I received Susan Gable's next book The Pregnancy Test in the mail the other day and am about 5 chapters in to it already. It tells the story of the brother of the heroine from her book The Mommy Plan from two years ago and it sounds really interesting. Sloan, the hero, is a single dad (his wife died) raising two daughters - one who is a troubled 15 year old. He also has just decided to start dating again and the woman is his neighbor. I haven't gotten to the big part of the story yet but both Sloan's daughter and his GF get pregnant right around the same time and he has to live through all of that. I know Susan's work and she always covers more sensitive issues in her books so I'm looking forward to seeing how she handles the topic of teenage pregnancy.

In audio, I finished Left Behind Book 1 on Monday or Tuesday and I started the second book in Nora Roberts' Three Sisters Island Trilogy - Heaven and Earth. Good so far. Puts me in a mind of Charmed which is a favorite TV show of mine.

Stroll down memory lane

On a recent "TRASH" trip to St. Louis, I managed to pick up books by two of my childhood -- well, young girl in the 60s/70s -- favorites: Jane Aiken Hodge and Mary Stewart. Not only did it bring back memories of reading in a sun warmed room, or dusty hideaway, but also memories of adventure outside the farming community I lived.

Mary Stewart brought a sophisticated international world into existence for me, especially with her tale of Greek Isles, Corfu and the dangers of the Cold War. Wildfire at Midnight was one of my first tastes of Greece and I wanted so badly to go and stay in a villa, bronze in the warm sun, swim in the blue seas, and eat olives. Surely the Greek olives were better than the ones stuffed with pimentos and hauled out in the relish dish for big Pennsylvania Dutch dinners at our house. And I understand they even used olive oil, which was definitely NOT an ingredient in our Mennonite/Amish cooking! Ah, what Stewart exposed me to dream about!

The Spell of Mary Stewart is a book club (Nelson, Doubleday) hardback without dust jacket, published in 1968 with three of Stewart's classics: This Rough Magic,
Wildfire at Midnight, and The Ivy Tree. I wished it had My Brother Michael or Airs Above The Ground but it certainly stirred lots of memories as I read it.

Stewart is a writer to be enjoyed anew and stays fresh over the decades. Even if Corfu is crowded with tourists, the Albanian threat dissipated, This Rough Magic wants me to go re-read The Tempest as well, just so I can do the quotes with aplomb. Ah, the little things that make me happy.

Later I'll talk about Jane Aiken Hodge, but right now, I've got to put together a box of books as payment for the return of my daughter. Her price I'm told is enough sexy contemporary romances to get a new college graduate through the summer. Naked chests of men okay, sexy would be nice (request not to give away all the ones I've held for GMR), and contemporary please. That is going to be tough, since most contemporary books don't feature the naked guys unless they are of the erotica bent, but I'm sure I can find something hanging around, gathering dust.