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Starting the Summer Off Right
 I read a whole mess of fun, fluffy books recently. First, I read THE EX-DEBUTANTE by Linda Francis Lee. This book mysteriously landed on my desk a month or two ago. I was in the mood for something a little lighter than some of my usual fare, so I picked it up. I enjoyed the story about a former Texas debutante who returns to her hometown to help with her mother's divorce, throw together a doomed debutante ball and avoid falling into the arms of her first love. The writing was a little hard to take at time (random use of gimmicks distracted from the story), but overall, I had fun reading it. Continuing the debutante theme, I read the first book of the Debutante Dropout Mysteries by Susan McBride, BLUE BLOOD. Ms. McBride had visited the writing seminar taught by Bobbi Smith at last year's RT Convention. Ever since then I had wanted to read her books. This one is about a not-quite-debutante who goes undercover at a Hooters-esque restaurant in an attempt to find out who really killed its owner. I am looking forward to reading more of the series. I also read REMEMBER ME? by one of my favorite chick-lit authors, Sophie Kinsella. If you are a fan of the show Samantha Who? you might also enjoy this story about a woman who wakes up to find she can't remember the last 3 years of her life. At once funny and thought-provoking, it's an interesting take on amnesia and its effects on both the person who forgets and the people in her life.  And finally, I read a book I had wanted to read since this year's RT. One of the books featured in the Mr. Romance competition was WEDDINGS CAN BE MURDER by Christie Craig and I had been wanting to read it ever since. I was thrilled when it came in last week and immediately started reading it. This was probably my favorite of the above books. It was funny, charming and very real. If you are looking for some good beach reads (or some sitting-at-the-doctor's-office reads) check out some of these books. Nicole
RT BOOKreviews July 08 Issue
Download TOUCH OF EVIL by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp
 Register for Tor's e-mail newsletter to receive links to download free books and wallpapers from bestselling and award-winning SF and fantasy authors and artists weekly. This week's free download is TOUCH OF EVIL by C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp.
Sneak Peek and Free Access to Julia Quinn's Books
Books and the Big Screen
 I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS and TWILIGHT. What do these two books have in common?  Both are going to be major motion pictures released at the end of the year or early 2009 and both have come to my attention recently. Beyond that, they couldn't be more different. TWILIGHT is one of those young adult stories that gets the grown ups excited, too. Everywhere I go, I see table displays of Stephanie Meyer's books (including her new adult release, THE HOST), posters for the movie and as of this week, the trailer. It's a paranormal thriller about vampires, love and high school. The movie is scheduled for a December 12 release. I LOVE YOU PHILLIP MORRIS is a completely different animal. A remarkable true love story set in Texas about a man, Steven Russell, who falls in love with his cellmate, Philip Morris. When Morris is released from prison, Russell breaks out several times to be with him. I read MORRIS shortly after it came out in 2003. It's sweet, charming and funny, despite some pretty sad elements (they were in prison for a reason). The movie stars Jim Carrey and Ewan MacGregor and comes out early next year. Some other movies coming out this year based on books are: • THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2, Ann Brashares, August 8th ( http://sisterhoodofthetravelingpants2.warnerbros.com/)  • NIGHTS IN RODANTHE, Nicholas Sparks, September 12th ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0956038/) • BLINDNESS, Jose Saramago, September 26th ( http://www.blindness-themovie.com)  • HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU, Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo, October 24th ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1001508/)  • QUANTUM OF SOLACE (007), Ian Fleming, November 7th ( http://www.007.com)  • HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE, J.K. Rowling, November 21st ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417741/)  • THE ROAD, Cormac McCarthy, November 28th ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0898367/)  • THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE, Audrey Niffenegger, December 25th ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452694/) • MARLEY AND ME, John Grogan, December 26th ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0822832/)  I am not usually that big on big screen adaptations (or even little screen). But I am looking forward to quite a few of the ones listed above. Are you? Sound off in the comments. Nicole
Move Over Jason Bourne - I Want Jordan Sandor
  I don't care for the Bourne movies a whole lot, though I admit to being biased since I also just don't believe Matt Damon as an action hero. But I do love spy movies, action stories and political thrillers. So I approached THE PORTOFINO DECEPTION by Jeffrey S. Stephens with mixed feelings. But I was pleasantly surprised to find I not only enjoyed the book, but also liked the character of Jordan Sandor.  Sandor is a former CIA agent turned journalist who stumbled upon a shooting while on his way to meet a source a friend of his set him up with. The friend gets injured, as well as a police officer at the scene. But little of this is coincidence and as Sandor begins to look into what happened, we learn there's a lot more involved than just bad timing. Sandor uncovers an international plot being masterminded by a former colleague turned traitor. The book touches on Homeland Security, terror fears and military operations. But there is humor and a very human kindness, too. I only had a couple of small problems with the book. Stephens alternated between the main character's first and last name a lot, making it confusing, particularly when done in the same paragraph. And, the bad guy talks too much at the end - spilling his guts - which I just have a hard time believing would ever happen. Otherwise, I really enjoyed it and hope to read some more about Jordan Sandor. Nicole
Friends and Authors
My mom hates reading celebrity gossip. She has learned that sometimes reading about the antics of famous people can affect how she appreciates their work. For instance, she can no longer watch Tom Cruise movies - even ones she liked. I know I have a harder time watching Lindsay Lohan in The Parent Trap, and she was just a kid then! Meeting authors can have a similar effect. Not that I have met authors that I didn't like as a person; every author I have gotten to know has been very sweet. But as I have mentioned before, sometimes reading an author's book after getting to know them can be a bit awkward. Especially if they write detailed sex scenes. However, I set aside that potential awkwardness and read S.J. Willing's POSEIDON VII this week. I wasn't sure what to expect. I knew that S.J. is a very sweet man with a ready smile and a sense of humor. But I didn't know if I would like his book as much as I liked his silly ties. I was lucky, though, in that I did enjoy the book. It's a futuristic romance. The action and science remind me of Isaac Asimov, and the romance is completely believable. The characters act and think like humans, not just characters reacting to the whim of the author. And I was interested throughout the book to see what happened. In fact, the sub-romance involving characters who are enemies of each other is intriguing and I hope to read that story in a future book. I know now not to let a personal knowledge of the author affect my enjoyment of their work. I have other friends who are authors and I have been a bit reluctant to read their books because I thought I would feel bad if I didn't like them, but now I will give those stories a chance, too. Nicole
Brenda Novak's Auction for Diabetes Research
Brenda Novak's 4th Annual On-line Auction for Diabetes Research has begun. The first $150,000 in auction proceeds will go the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the balance will go to the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami. Among the items you can bid on are: * A weekend in paradise at Susan Wiggs' guest house in Bainbridge Island, Washington * African safari for two * Amazon Kindle * An amazing flying getaway * Lunch with Debbie Macomber and the radio personality Delilah in Port Orchard, WA * 6-day Hawaiian vacation package * Month of mentoring from NYTimes bestselling author Carla Neggers* Evaluation of an entire manuscript--and a response in 1 week--by editor Kate Duffy at Kensington And much much more! Don't miss it.
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