Happy Today

Why?

Well, I'm not at work! I know both my coworkers intend to go back into the office this weekend, but I'd rather bust my a$$ motoring straight through an extra long workday during the week and keep my home *work-free* rather than bring work home or, in the case of one coworker who lives in condo a 10 min walk away) go home, then come back to the office.

So I'm freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

...to do laundry, grocery shopping and housework. *g*

But I'm also happy because after being in what feels like an eternal slump for months, I read two books back to back that I really enjoyed. (Ahhh, now my fellow readers understand the scope of my joy.) Not perfect reads, I had my quibbles with both, but still just loved the time I spent with both sets of heroes/heroines.


Kristin Higgin's Fools Rush In


This is has been languishing in the tbr pile since it's release (in 2006?). I love KH's voice, but she's one of those authors I can't read back to back or the similarities between books becomes too apparent.

Also, while i know she's marketed as contemporary romance, *to me* she's not. She writes woman's fiction with a strong romance. In this case about 300 pages of the almost 400 page book was about the heroine settling back into her small Cape Cod town after years away at University/med school and her self-improvement plans (the usual hair/make-up/weight loss/fix-up new home, establish career thang)--plans which tie-in very neatly to her bigger plans of landing her high school crush.

Who's not the hero. In fact, Millie's pursuit of Joe Carpenter falls pretty much into the realm of 'stalking'. Seriously. The author skirts the border of making the heroine unlikeable because of this, but aside from this touch of madness, the heroine is such a good egg, you can't help but like her. And the hero is just a real stand-up guy. What you would want in a real-life hero, not the fantasy hero-types you read in romance books. KH does a bang-up job showing the easy bond/caring/friendship between the heroine/hero before the romance really kicks in. Good thing, since he's her ex-brother-in-law. KH makes it work though! I totally believe that the HEA for these two will last.


The next book I read, I finished in 24hrs (stayed up till 5am this morning to finish!). Rachel Gibson's True Confessions, is definitely more of a straight contemporary romance, although there is a bigger story surrounding the core romance.


I loved the heroine and the hero. They were both distinctive, layered, imperfect and strong, and a really good match for each other. Loved their banter/witticism, and the sexual tension? Whoo baby! This is how it's done. Reminded me of some ol skool Linda Howard. I've missed reading build-up like this. I like the money-shot/pay off scene as much as the next reader, but the tease/foreplay/build is just so much more interesting/fun.

What I also enjoyed about this book is, I read RG's See Jane Score (I think it was her first book) and I a bunch more of her book in the tbr pile but haven't read them yet, but I could see that RG has taken her writing to another level with this latest release. I thought See Jane Score was great, but her writing in this book is just so much better.


I just love when a (favourite) author *gets better*, because it doesn't always happen. Sometime they stay at the same level re plotting, characterization, word-smithing, and in some instances that's fine. Whatever you loved about them, you still love.

But sometimes it's not, because you saw the 'rough diamond' of their work and kept reading in anticipation of that polishing and refining of writing skills. Gets frustrating when that doesn't happen, especially when the rough edges are things you might feel should/could be dealt with if just a little more attention/care were applied.

Worse scenario is, when it seems like they've regress (burn out? Not enough time to polish/flesh-out their work? Less attention given on the editorial end? Change of genre/publisher?) whatever the reason it's always disappointing.

Kinda got of track there, a little, didn't I? Well as long as I have rambled off topic I'll add that the last thing that's got me chuffed is, reading good books makes me want to be a better writer and to that end, I'm off to deal with the wip.

Joke-Tree Hugger

While walking through the Boulder Colorado woods a man came upon another man hugging a tree with his ear firmly against the tree.

Seeing this he inquired, "Just out of curiosity, what the heck are you doing?

"I'm listening to the music of the tree," the other man replied.

"You gotta be kiddin' me."

"No, would you like to give it a try?"

Understandably curious, the man says, "Well, OK..." So he wrapped his arms around the tree and pressed his ear up against it.

With this the other guy, slapped a pair of handcuffs on him, took his wallet, jewelry, car keys, then stripped him naked and left.

Two hours later another nature lover strolled by, saw this guy handcuffed to the tree stark naked, and asked, "What the hell happened to you?"

He told the guy the whole terrible story about how he got there.

When he finished telling his story, the other guy shook his head in sympathy, walked around behind him, kissed him gently behind the ear and said, "This just isn't gonna be your day, is it, Cupcake?"

Where Am I?

I'm around. I've been working 10-12 hour days, which doesn't leave much juice to do other things, like say write blog posts. I only log online to check email, might pop into a blog or two or skim through twitter (maybe leave a comment, most often not)and log off again. This will continue right up to the end of the year. I'm swamped at work, and our department was just been handed another huge project to handle. So huge, they're loaning us 4 more bodies from administration to help do the grunt work. Those bodies will most likely have no impact on the hours I've been putting in, though, all things considered.

Writing. I have been. But only during my morning train commute into the office. Time which I guard jealously since I know it's the only time I'll have the energy/mental focus/time to write. I'm still trudging through the revisions. What's taking me so long, you might be wondering--besides the mental exhaustion? The writing really needs cleaning up. It's in-authentic to the characters/story in places. Over-written in many instances or I'm coming across spots to flesh out as I go along. Today I'm going to tackle the only new scene planned for the middle of the book, then it'll be more tweaking/clean up until the changed/expanded ending.

Reading. I've had several DNFs, not surprisingly. In many cases it's me not the author. I long to read something that consumes my interests and gets me all wrapped up the story.

That's about all I have to say at this point, sort of a meh posting, which is why I haven't bothered doing it till my extended absence required that I show my face here. *g*

The end is nigh

Crazy woman that I am. after getting home from a long day I decided to bake a carrot cake. Been jonesing for one for awhile and was planning to make it this weekend past, but made a banana chocolate-chip bread for the boy instead.

Anywho, cue ::cravings:: Even though I can barely keep my eyes open I'm so exhausted, I mosey into the kitchen and start baking.

This one isn't being made from scratch. Just used a box of Betty Crocker SuperMoist Carrot cake mix, added in a cup of freshly grated carrots, some golden raisins and... a tablespoon of Wray & Nephew Overproof Jamaican white rum. (The fumes were so strong, I was expecting the oven to explode at any minute).


The cake is cooling now and I'm about to make the cream-cheese frosting. yum.


Project: Ass Expansion about to commence...

Library Haul

Bad blogger, I know. I was going to blog about the book that broke my recent (fiction)reading slump, but we'll leave that for when I have more energy.

So... I'll post the books I got from the library yesterday. The library is directly across from the supermarket & bank. How sweet this that? I've never gone grocery shopping down there without dropping into the library first.

C.J. Box's Blood Trail.



I first came across the author via a newsletter (publisher or writer's org) in either case there was a link to an excerpt and ever since I've had it in mind to check out their writing. This is my first try.

Synopsis found on Amazon:

When an elk hunter is shot and gruesomely gutted in Box's solid eighth Joe Pickett novel (after 2007's Free Fire), Wyoming governor Spencer Rulon assigns Joe to the investigative team headed by Joe's nemesis, game and fish director Randy Pope. The authorities suspect a group led by antihunting activist Klamath Moore, but Joe thinks an enigmatic clue near the body points to a serial killer. As usual, Joe stands alone against official protocol, placing his career and life in peril by following his hunches. He persuades Rulon to release his pal, iconoclast Nate Romanowski, who's awaiting trial on spurious charges, to help him on the case. Writing beautifully about the mountain West and its people, Box takes care to present both sides of the controversial issue of hunting. The narrative alternates between the searchers and the killer, whose identity will keep readers guessing up to the surprising climax.




Nadine Dajani's Cutting Loose.



It was the spine that caught my eye on this one--the publisher, color and photo/image. I haven't read one of these woman fiction following 2 or 3 protags in awhile, but particularly like that all the women are from varying ethnic backgrounds (Saudi Arabian, Palestinian and Honduran).


Synopsis found on Amazon:

Dajani's engrossing second novel (after Fashionably Late) chronicles the overlap in the lives of three dissimilar women working at a Miami magazine. Upon realizing that her husband is gay, pampered Ranya Hayek flees her situation and, after a chance meeting with smitten millionaire Georges Mallouk, finds herself working for the first time. Georges and his brother, Joe, own Suéltate, a successful magazine geared toward Latinas and helmed by the brash Rio, who works nonstop to make it a top publication. Rio has the occasional tryst with Joe and is wary of Ranya, who has both brothers mooning over her. Also disdainful of Ranya and Rio is Ranya's childhood schoolmate Zahra, who is intelligent but socially awkward. After having made a mistake that destroyed her beloved life in Boston, Zahra took a corporate position with her old friend Georges, whom she still holds a torch for. Dajani seamlessly flits from character to character, embodying each woman and pitting her observations against her misconceptions. Though the unfortunately pat happy ending seems lazy and unlikely, the novel works nicely.




Eden Bradley's A 21st Century Courtesan





I've one other Bradley book. I liked it, but it was BDSM --really BDSM, not just window dressing for the story. It was done really well. Great writing/characterization, but ultimately I'm not that into reading BDSM so haven't really read anything else by her because I had the impression that's mostly what she writes. I almost didn't bring this one home because I"m not in the mood for erotica, but... I love the whole intriguing sexy stranger at the opera set up.

Synopsis found on Amazon:

She lives in a world of silk sheets, imported champagne,
and endless erotic delight.…

She fulfills the deepest fantasies of the most powerful men in the world. Sensual, seductive, and discreet, Valentine Day is a high-class call girl, pampered and adored by her exclusive clientele. But Valentine has a secret. Always in control, she’s never experienced true pleasure outside of her work. But all that is about to change.… Now the woman who’s spent a decade pleasuring others is about to embark on an erotic journey of her own.

It happens one night at the opera. Seated next to her in the dark is a stranger. As the music swells so does the sexual tension. Gorgeous, sophisticated Joshua Spencer invites her for a drink, and soon she’s fantasizing about taking him home. When they finally come together in the most tender and intense lovemaking Valentine has ever known, she’s hooked. But suddenly Valentine is questioning everything. Joshua has no idea what she does for a living. Can she risk everything—including her hard-earned freedom and one final, shattering secret—for one man? And would he still want her if he knew the truth?

Lloyd Jones' Mister Pip.



I remember the buzz on this one when it was short listed for a bunch of awards/prizes. What really made me take this one home is an short excerpt from the book on the back:

"You cannot pretend to read a great book.
Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing.
A person entranced by a book simply forgets to
breathe. The house can catch alight and a reader
deep in a book will not look up until the wallpaper
is in flames"

A bit of an exaggeration, but I don't know how many times I've ended up on the other end of town because I was so immersed in a book I was reading I missed my train stop. 'K, it hasn't happened all that often. *g* But when it has it's because it was a damn great book I was reading.


Synopsis found on Amazon:

A promising though ultimately overwrought portrayal of the small rebellions and crises of disillusionment that constitute a young narrator's coming-of-age unfolds against an ominous backdrop of war in Jones's latest. When the conflict between the natives and the invading redskin soldiers erupts on an unnamed tropical island in the early 1990s, 13-year-old Matilda Laimo and her mother, Dolores, are unified with the rest of their village in their efforts for survival. Amid the chaos, Mr. Watts, the only white local (he is married to a native), offers to fill in as the children's schoolteacher and teaches from Dickens's Great Expectations. The precocious Matilda, who forms a strong attachment to the novel's hero, Pip, uses the teachings as escapism, which rankles Dolores, who considers her daughter's fixation blasphemous. With a mixture of thrill and unease, Matilda discovers independent thought, and Jones captures the intricate, emotionally loaded evolution of the mother-daughter relationship. Jones (The Book of Fame; Biografi) presents a carefully laid groundwork in the tense interactions between Matilda, Dolores and Mr. Watts, but the extreme violence toward the end of the novel doesn't quite work. Jones's prose is faultless, however, and the story is innovative enough to overcome the misplayed tragedy.

Southern Fried Chicas

I'm over at Southern Fried Chicas today.

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