Jedi Knight or Wookie

I just finished a book that would have made GREAT reading while waiting in line for Episode III. Too bad that's not when I was reading it. In her latest release, THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY MEN I'VE DATED, Shane Bolks references Star Wars more times than any die hard fan wearing a cheap black cape, shiny black mask and breathing heavy would. She cites Yoda as one of the greatest philosophers of all time and classifies men into two categories; Wookies or Jedi Knights. Bet you can't guess which is better??

I thought I was really going to enjoy this chick-lit book, catchy title, cute cover, but by Chapter 5 my patience was wearing a little thin with the "Ultimate Jedi Plan". My low tolerance for this genre (It does have the obligatory Manolo Blahnik shoes) is well known by those around me, but sheesh people, high school shouldn't be the defining time of your life.

That being said, I wanted to read more to see who Princess Leia wound up with, the Wookie or the Jedi. And, the supporting characters were quirkily entertaining. It didn't send me into hyperdrive, but it's not from the dark side either.

Hissy Fit

I am on vacation this week, enjoying a visit from some of my family, but I have been squeezing in time to read. It helps that 2 of my sisters who are visiting a big readers too! I just finished Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews this morning. I thoroughly enjoyed every page! I am looking forward to getting a lot more reading done on Sat. because we are going to the lake for swimming and sailing. I will be slathering on the sunscreen and catching up on my reading.

Midnight Musings

Or, why I sometimes like historical fiction more than anything else...

I'm babysitting a script so I thought I'd take the time to ponder on yesterday's reading since today my reading time was limited to menus and map directions. Had lunch with my friend and co-worker M today and as usual, we discussed our reading. She's stuck on a book verging on chick-lit (not her favorite by any stretch of the imagination) and I was extolling the historical I stayed up MUCH too late to finish -- EARTHLY JOYS by Philippa Gregory.

Sometimes you just feel like reading a certain type of book, and the Tudor series by
Philippa Gregory being reissued by Touchstone traces the stories of characters in Tudor England. Not necessarily the main well-known actors but fictionalizations to tell much more than the surface story. EARTHLY JOYS begins the story of the Tradescants, gardeners to the royals and their advisors. Also, by the by, the founders of one of the first museums as we know them (open to the general public, or anyone who could pay a small fee) today. Isn't history interesting?

Except for the "rape" or "whatever you want to call it," I really enjoyed EARTHLY JOYS, especially since I had to go and look up the history of the age, try to remember THE THREE MUSKETEERS, and had lots to talk about at lunch. Not a bad night's loss of sleep, I'd say. I can't wait for John Tradescant the Younger's story, coming out in August.

Movies and books

Our family made a trip to the cinema and saw Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, one of DC's favorite books. Even though we were the only ones laughing, a fun time was had by all. So much, the dialogue is still being quoted.

Marvin the paranoid android: "Life? Don't talk to me about life!"

Mouse 1: "Rubbish, we don't want to be happy, we want to be famous!"


If you have a chance, and the lines for the Star Wars are too long, check it out at your local theatre. Definitely a DVD purchase when it's released.

Updates, geez

Okay, trying to fix the site feed, so hang on to your hats, it's not as easy as you think.

What are you reading?

Time for my weekly update on what I'm reading. And I'm still trying to figure out this whole loading pictures thing and this didn't work like it was supposed to from the directions so bear with me.

In print, I finished advance copies of Susan Gable's The Pregnancy Test last week and moved on to Holly Jacobs' Lovehandles, which I finished this weekend. Now I'm reading The Moon Witch by Linda Winstead Jones, the second book in her Fyne Witches Sisters trilogy.

In electronic I am reading an advance copy Loki's Sin by Saje Williams. I can't remember if it was Chapter 6 or 7 I got through last night before going to bed.

In audio I am about halfway through my second listen of Face the Fire by Nora Roberts. This is the third book in her Three Sisters Island trilogy and is fairly good. It puts me in the mind of the TV show Charmed, which I love, so that's probably why I'm enjoying the trilogy. I'm not a huge Nora fan, so I am trying to do hers in audio rather then taking the time to read them since they usually are not keepers for me. I do audio books twice when I can and if they aren't incredibly long since I listen at work and while driving and I don't want to miss anything. LOL After I finish that I'm moving on to Dawn on a Distant Shore by Sara Donati.

In print when I find time I'm also working my way through Pam Peeke's Body for Life for Women which a group of my internet friends and I are reading together. We're planning to start the Body for Life program on June 1 to get fit and healthy and we have a Yahoo Group to support each other through. I'm actually attempting to follow some of the eating right suggestions already that it talks about. I'm not starting exercising til June 1 though. LOL And tonight food wise I think I did good. LOL

Kelley
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Columnist Fresh Fiction

At the beginning of the 19th century, adventure awaits...

Well, two good paranormal books down, I also read two historicals...MR. IMPOSSIBLE by Loretta Chase and THE CHASE by Cheryl Sawyer. (Enough "chase" in that sentence?). Loretta Chase has been a favorite historical romance author of mine for years -- way too many to admit here. One of my very favorite historical romances is LORD OF SCOUNDRELS and I wish I could say that MR. IMPOSSIBLE was up there with the best of the best. But it's probably not possible to hit homers every time. So, let's start with the title. Good grief, who came up with that one? It is just not a good historical title and along with MISS WONDERFUL, Chase's book from 2004 and the beginning of this series, the titles just don't do it for me as a harbinger of a great historical book. Probably, just me, but once you get past the unfortunately modern sounding title (it just sounds like fluff to me) you'll find a delightful book set in 1821 Egypt.

Ah, an exotic land, filled with poverty and newly uncovered mysteries and treasures, fought over by warring Europeans and local tribesman. What a setting for a romance! Like Susan Squires' THE COMPANION you won't want to leave this Egypt. It isn't the kindest place to be -- Chase doesn't cover up the poverty and disease -- but it is exotic, romantic and filled with adventure. And Rupert and Daphne dash along on their mission to rescue the kidnapped Miles (brother of Daphne, I say, does this remind one of THE MUMMY II sans kiddo?)

And does Rupert have to be so stupid that he doesn't know he's in love? Only one of the things that really spoiled the story for me. And we were doing so well. Even the villains were better portrayed in this go round.

I think though, if you compare, and it's really not possible except on the exotic setting of Egypt, both women being Egyptian experts/scholars, THE COMPANION has the lead for adventure and erotic appeal while MR. IMPOSSIBLE (shudder on the title, again) has the lead in romance. The stronger female lead is Squires' Elizabeth Rochewell since she is definitely not a dummy Egyptian scholar but Chase's Rupert Carsington is a fun loving scoundrel. Plus I think it takes more to love a vampire than a scoundrel.

But on to the Hundred Days -- Napoleon has escaped from Elba and is on the loose in France. The Continent and British kingdom are in an uproar. Just when they thought it was safe....sounds almost like a horror movie, doesn't it? Well, think again. THE CHASE is a historical with romance. If you like good, old fashioned, well researched historicals, you'll enjoy this book. If you like a romance with a bit of historical fluff added, you'll probably hate it. Me, I'm on the side of well-researched historical story telling. The romance in THE CHASE is hit or miss, but the characters' stories are sublime.

After reading you'll want to dive back into Sharpe's War and more. Maybe it's because I just finished a glom of my Jane Aiken Hodge period novels, but this one hit the spot. I didn't like her previous novel, SIREN nearly as well as this one.

Longmire Does Romance Novels
And from my husband -- found in the back of his PC Magazine, the reason why I hate clinch covers -- it is so easy to be made fun of, but you must admit, some of these are truly funny. Also, why doesn't he do the men's adventure covers? Some of them are just as silly, and those old scifi/fantasy ones? Drawn by hormonal boys? Huh???

Spooky, ah geez, it's just a ghost!

After my low of the week, and don't you just hate it when you anticipate a book (or movie for that matter) and then it just doesn't quite live up to your expectations? It's an "okay" book or movie, but you were expecting to be blown away? Well, although my one read this week fit the description, I may have had a more open mind about the others I read.

CARVED IN STONE by Vickie Taylor was a more than pleasant surprise. Hey, where have I been? Are there other gargoyle stories out there? The only gargoyles I'm acquainted with were in that silly Disney movie with Demi Moore. Oh, and a few hanging out on cathedrals in Paris, or lingering in a over designed garden landscape. Taylor's book has nothing resembling Disney in any way or sort. Thankfully. Ah, except for the French heritage, and I guess with a gargoyle, you do need the French.

We open with a monster under the bed (or not) and then flash forward to a modern Chicago complete with sexy men and women (sizzling with sexual tension, thank you very much) who battle their natures and a nasty bunch of neo-conservatives. You gotta love this one. It has all the hallmarks of a good read: fast pace, finely spun sexual tension, warring loyalties. All painted on a backdrop of today's Chicago. Highly recommend and I can't wait for the next one. Who's story will it be? Taylor has a multi book contract with Berkley, so I'm thinking this is NOT a standalone, flash in the pan. Available on June 7

Next up was another long awaited book, the latest in the Women of the Otherworld series -- HAUNTED by Kelley Armstrong.

Haunted is Eve's story. You remember Eve? Savannah's mom? The Black witch? Well, you know, you can't keep a black witch down...or apparently, GONE FOREVER!!! Yup, she's a ghost, on a mission from the Fates (a crazier bunch of yarn spinners I've never seen before) and with the help of her ex-lover, oh, did I forget to mention, Krist is in purgatory too? Eve's on a mission to save the world -- she's a phantom bounty hunter. Even if she can't save her daughter, she's still able to contribute.

You can read HAUNTED by itself, although I'll bet you'll want to read more about the Otherworld, I know I did after reading INDUSTRIAL MAGIC. Armstrong has created a multi-faceted and wondrous world. It's well worth the search for her entire backlist and set aside a weekend of reading pleasure. Each character has his/her own flaws, strengths, humor and personality. They've all been a delight to read and the next one, available on June 7th is no different. Gooble it up and wish like me it was available over Memorial Day.

Hollows come alive....Or not...

Been a couple of days, but with work, daughter home from college, husband on vacation and Star Wars Episode III, it's been difficult to find time to read much less yak on about it in a journal. But ha, did you think I wasn't reading? Silly you!

Finished EVERY WHICH WAY BUT DEAD on Friday. Sad to say, I thought I could finish in a single setting, but this episode, for me at least, is not as good as the first two. Either, she was rushed to get it out to satisfy her fawning fans or she lost her creative sparkle for a bit. And the front cover blurbette -- "Great sex. And an even better plot!" -- well, please, one scene of doing the sublime and a bunch of gnawing on a demon scar is NOT great sex. If you don't have an ongoing amount of sexual tension, it just becomes a formulaic scene -- insert some sex here. As for great plot, walking on a character then forgetting him until the last summary chapter, or throwing us a bad guy without motivation rhyme or reason, or whisking away a main character (was the stage too crowded to manage?), is not a great plot. It just smacks of moving stick figures around a claustrophobic venue.

Perhaps the marketers are trying to get the LKH crowd to buy the book by employing the tease of great sex but I thought the ongoing tension sadly missing. And is having the male character dress the female now taking the place of foreplay? I'm getting too old, expecting a bit more than simply wardrobing. ::sigh:: Now, I'm not saying EVERY WHICH WAY BUT DEAD is a complete loss, not sorry I read the book, and yup, I do recommend it to the others in my little sphere of influence who are eagerly awaiting this volume (have your favorite bookseller hold a copy for you on the first day of release, right before July 4th holiday!), but for me personally, it was a let-down. And it took two days to finish. Sheesh.

By the way, I have lots of questions which I'll have to wait to discuss until either the book is released (June 28) or some others catch up with me (you know who you are). As to the final question, is this book a stand alone read?, probably. If you do like it, you'll be intrigued enough to go back and get the first two, I don't think you'll get lost, although most of the character motivation, and the previous history will make the story a little clearer. Oh, yeah, and the plot thing, well, you can drive holes through it plus a bunch of superfluous characters and then not enough of main players -- a quick visit then off to the holding room. To help those of you looking, and do look in the science fiction, fantasy or horror sections, the Hollows tales so far are:
The first two are NOT TO BE MISSED, she is a great new story teller and I'm sure the next episode in the ongoing saga of the Hollows will add a bit more.