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Happy Halloween!
In the spirit of Halloween, I thought I would post a few of my holiday favorites. THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Washington Irving. One of my all time favorites, nothing evokes spookiness quite like this tale of the headless horseman.  LIGHTNING and HIDEAWAY by Dean Koontz. I read both of these when I was a teenager and the scenes have haunted me for years.   CYCLE OF THE WEREWOLF by Stephen King. This is a wonderfully illustrated series of stories by the master of scary scene-setting.  BLOOD BOUND and MOON CALLED by Patricia Briggs. I have never been especially fond of werewolf stories (despite the above recommendation), but this series is wonderful. Funny but dark and totally engaging. The Blood Books by Tanya Huff. A wonderful vampire series as is evidenced by the many fans of the television series it is based on.  SUMMON THE KEEPER by Tanya Huff. I have found few books that could make me laugh like this book could. The main character is a witch and one with a very dry sense of humor, despite the madcap things that happen around her - flirty French ghosts, colorful imps, a talking cat and schizophrenic Hell.  STIFF by Mary Roach. All you could ever want to know about what happens to the human body after death. A surprisingly fun read.  The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine. As I have mentioned before, this is a wonderful young adult series that I am reading with my little sister. I love so many things about these books, I don't think I can name them all. Hope you all have a safe and wonderful Halloween! Nicole
Give It to Me One More Time
I am not one for erotica. My imagination is pretty vivid and reading explicit sex scenes can be difficult under most circumstances. Added to this, once I start reading something that is erotica, I find myself skipping through whatever plot there is so I can read the sex scenes. I realize that sounds a bit contradictory, but that is how it feels. However, as I was giving blood a few months ago I met a woman who writes books for Ellora's Cave. We bonded over our affection for MaryJanice Davidson and Angela Knight. I asked if I could read some of her books and within the week, I had a few in my hands. And this week I read two of them: JANE AND THE SNEAKY DOM (ugh, what a title!) and its sequel THE DEVIL AND MS. JOHNSON by Hannah Murray. And all I can say is, Wow!   Apparently, I was missing out. At least, Ms. Murray's books were pretty good and definitely hot. I loved the straightforward personalities of the main characters in each book. The dialogue felt real, especially between the two girlfriends. I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy the story along with the sex. And the sex was pretty steamy. I know it may seem like I rarely talk about books I don't like here, but that's because I tend to be pretty picky about what I read. I will read nearly anything, but I am good at weeding out the things I don't think I will enjoy. Sometimes this causes me to miss out on books I might like simply because I am scared I will hate them while everyone around me seems to love them. I hadn't read any erotica, or even just particularly steamy books, in many years. I avoided it, thinking I didn't want to take any chances. But I enjoyed these two books by Ms. Murray and now I will have to try to read some more in the future. Nicole
Of Blood and Diamonds
I am experiencing an interesting juxtaposition in my reading materials lately. One the one hand, I recently read THE TURTLE BOY by Kealan Patrick Burke, a horror novella recommended to me by my mother. She thought I would really enjoy the story and suggested I borrow her limited edition copy of the book. "And the author's cute, too." Thanks, Mom, that's a great legitimate reason to read a book.  I don't really read horror much anymore. I don't like blood-and-guts-style horror, because my imagination is just too vivid. I can picture everything far too graphically. But with this story, the horror was far more in the chills and thrills area and quite successfully done. A good tease of the brain, one that alludes to the fear rather than bashing you over the head with it (pun intended). On the other hand, I also read WHAT A GIRL WANTS by Kristin Billerbeck. It's a Christian chick-lit novel and quite a fun one at that. I read lots of chick lit, but having one with a religious bent was a new experience for me. I enjoyed this book so much I am getting a hold of the sequels, SHE'S OUT OF CONTROL and WITH THIS RING, I'M CONFUSED. I liked this book because it was very real, very down-to-earth. Her thoughts were so natural sounding. It is set in the Silicon Valley and her observations about the traits of engineers was so dead-on, I saw my friends' faces in my mind as I read. I even skipped ahead to the end to find out what happened, much to my friends' chagrin. This week, horror and Christian chick-lit. Coming soon, observations on African-American fiction and erotica. No, really. Nicole
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In a World Without TV
I have read several articles talking about the possible television and movie writer's strike coming up. It seems that the Writers Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are in the process of negotiating new contracts for the writers. Should negotiations not go well, they may strike. This could happen as soon as early November or not until June of next year, when the Screen Actors Guild and the Directors Guild of America could join them. Jokes have been made that we (the American TV-watching public) will have nothing to do when that happens. Shows that don't have a stockpile of episodes completed will go into rerun mode. Movie studios would be a little better off because they have a cache of movies piled up for just such an occasion, but not many people can afford to go to too many movies anymore. While I do watch my share of television (have to have my Grey's Anatomy and House M.D.), I could live with the break. It would be a wonderful excuse for my other favorite pastime - reading. More of us should be reading. I am so in love with books and reading and everything to do with this industry as a whole, that it's easy to forget that not everyone reads that much anymore. Bookstores and libraries could be busier if more people took the time to read, whether it's a good novel (currently reading MANY BLOODY RETURNS, an anthology edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner) or an informative, but interesting, nonfiction book (I recommend THE WORLD WITHOUT US by Alan Weisman).  I do hope the negotiations go smoothly and everything can be worked out, but I can't help also hoping for the excuse to catch up on my reading. And I am sure those busy Hollywood directors, producers and writers would all like the chance to find more excellent material to translate into film. Who needs another horror remake? I can't wait for producers out there to discover ODD THOMAS by Dean Koontz. Nicole
Happy Tuesday to You, Happy Tuesday to You!
I am writing this entry on a Tuesday, specifically October 2. To me, Tuesdays are otherwise known as "release day." I love Tuesdays. This is what gets me through a really bad Monday. I know that if I can just get through the rest of a Monday, Tuesday I will be able to pick up the newest CDs, DVDs and books I have been waiting for. Today, Rachel Caine's third book in her Morganville Vampire series came out, MIDNIGHT ALLEY. I would usually say this made my little sister happy, too, but I haven't told her. I want it to be a surprise when I bring home the book!  I also received that happiest of packages today -- a delivery from Amazon.com. I had ordered a few books and was quite excited to see them arrive on the first day they could have come in. Too bad I already had one of them MAGIC BITES by Ilona Andrews. The duplicate will be given to a friend of mine and my wish list will be updated much better next time. Other books in my delivery were: BLUE MOON by Lori Handeland, HELL'S BELLES by Jackie Kessler, PROMISES TO KEEP by Charles de Lint and MANY BLOODY RETURNS, an anthology with Charlaine Harris, Jim Butcher, Rachel Caine, Tanya Huff and many others. Definitely detecting a theme in my choices.  Currently reading book four of the Weather Wardens series ( WINDFALL) by Rachel Caine. Two more to go before I finish what she has published in the series. I hear rumors there are more and I can't wait. I am liking that this series has not bored me at all. It gets more interesting, more complicated, but still retains the fun and humor that made the other books so enjoyable. Some series get lost in themselves, but these never do. Alright, off to go finish these books so I can read some more. That should be printed on a t-shirt somewhere. Nicole
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