CupK8's Kitchen

You'll find me everywhere, cuz I'm a Rover...

2011-07-15T21:37:00.003-05:00

Despite having told myself I would stay in the same apartment through graduation, I found myself unable to deal with the extreme level of nonchalance my landlords gave to my well-being, as well as the frequent police visits to the buildings in my area. I decided another move was needed.

This year was my first year living completely by myself, and I loved it. I think, in fact, I loved it for all the wrong reasons. I loved it because no one cared if I was a slob. I loved it because I didn't have to answer to anyone for anything. I could let laundry, dishes, everything slide because no one else lived there. However, this also meant that I almost never had company, and spent much of my time here in solitude - not necessarily a bad thing.

Now that I've spent some time being by myself, I think I'm ready to take that next step. I am determined to be much more ruthless about the things I clear out of my life on this move in the hopes that I can condense my life to a small one-bedroom apartment that still has room for me to walk. I figure this will only make moving to wherever I end up after graduation easier. It also means that I can have company without being embarrassed about the state of my life.

But as the time draws near, I find myself alternating between states of elation and panic. When I go to my empty new apartment, I am filled with peace and hope. Then I think about the second bedroom in my current apartment that is entirely filled with the things that wouldn't fit anywhere else, and I panic. This will certainly be a process.

And yet, even as I panic, I know that staying here would have made my last year of graduate school miserable. The last thing I want to connect to my final year of this amazing experience is a miserable home life. It is time for me to organize my life. For me, this time.

The power of song

2011-04-03T23:29:00.004-05:00

I'm very aural - as in, music and sound trigger things in me to a larger extent than other sensory experience. So when I am working creatively - acting, crafting, writing, whatever - music is my trigger. And it amazes me every time just how powerful that can be. Not only words, but the notes. My BA is in Musical Theatre, so I have a ton of soundtracks. The lyrics aren't always the most clever - see The Scarlet Pimpernel. But there is nothing like "Where's the Girl" for a sexy song because of the way the chords move through my ear holes.

Lately, thanks to seeing a production of Tom Stoppard's Rock N Roll, I've been in a big classic rock mood. I've been revisiting Jethro Tull and Bruce Springsteen the most, but I got into a Derek and the Dominos mood today. The original "Layla" is one of my favorite songs of all time. Is it because of the clever lyrics? No. It's because that famous guitar riff touches something inside of me that instantly recognizes the raw pain that the songwriter felt when writing it.

And then you have the deadly combo moves. Like the man, Bruce Springsteen. Poetry in every sense of the word.

Whatever happens to me psycho-physically when I hear music is something I don't quite understand, but something I am eternally grateful for. Because the inspiration it gives me is a great gift.

What about you? Any favorite songs for inspiration? That every time you hear them tug at your soul and make you pay attention to your own humanity?

Review: The Forbidden Rose by Joanna Bourne

2011-03-26T21:25:00.005-05:00

I've always enjoyed a good spy story, but I haven't, until now, read a really GOOD one. Joanna Bourne's The Forbidden Rose was everything I wanted in a spy novel, complete with romance - the kind that (as it does in war) blossoms unexpectedly and with a desperation that, at any moment, either party could be lost.

The Forbidden Rose takes place during the French Revolution, and Bourne does not shirk from showing the ugly side of the revolution - this is no over-romanticized France. It is a land torn by war and a population ruled by fear. Marguerite de Fleurignac is the leader of a group called La Flèche (The Arrow) which transports aristocrats out of the country and across the channel. William Doyle is a British spy who is looking for Maggie's father - apparently, he has a list of people that has served as a hit list, and there is a suspicion that her father is the one behind the assassinations. Things start to get complicated when Doyle stumbles on Maggie in the ruins of her sacked and looted home. Both are suspicious of each other, but they need each other. Doyle knows she is the daughter of the man she is looking for, and Maggie knows that she will get to Paris (where she is certain someone has betrayed La Flèche) more easily with Doyle to protect her. Along the way, of course, they fall in love, though both of them take their time coming to the realization that despite the danger, they will both risk their lives to stay together.

What I loved most about this book was that the danger was always very real. Doyle and Maggie both have honed skills - Maggie from leading La Flèche, and Doyle from his years of spying - but every time there was a situation, there was always a part of me that thought that they might not get out of it this time. I never had the sense that they were superhuman, which can be a problem in some spy romances. Bourne did an excellent job of showing the thought process for figuring out the solution, step by painful step, to each obstacle in their way. They were just really good at figuring out the puzzles.

The romance side was hot, though not particularly explicit. But throughout the intimate scenes, I felt the desperation for these two lovers - they might never see each other again, and that made the discovery of the other both precious and not. Special because it might be the last, but not too precious that they took time about it. They had no time to spare! These were the kinds of love scenes that reached into my heart and gave it a hard tug.

The side characters were all from different factions, and often clashed despite their connection to Maggie and Doyle. This painted a political landscape where you didn't know where your next enemy was going to come from, and I seriously spent nearly every scene wondering if the person they were speaking to was going to betray them. I never knew who was on their side with an absolute certainty. Hawker and Owl were particularly fabulous side characters, because they're so young. The ease with which Hawker performs certain tasks adds to the darkness of the book in ways that seeing an adult do the same things just cannot do. And seeing Doyle pass on his knowledge to Hawker helped to show us that these skills Doyle has come from a natural talent, but also YEARS of experience. Bourne throws in a lot of tips from Hawker's point of view (repeating in his mind things that Doyle has told him) that gave me a new perspective on scenes I'd already read.

I started this book on a whim at school on Thursday - purchasing it from the Kindle store despite agency pricing because I'd heard so many wonderful things about it. Today I sat down to read a few more chapters in my office and ended up staying two hours later than I'd planned to finish it. I could not put it down. Aside from the excellent world-building, the language itself - especially in Maggie's point of view - was lovely and poetic. Maggie sees the world through a lens of spinning a fantastic tale thanks to her hobby of making written records of local stories. That lens took a dark, dangerous world and gave it a beauty that gave me hope for their future.

This book is an EPIC WIN for me.

I often forget . . .

2011-03-25T15:32:00.004-05:00

That this is a blog dedicated to more than just reading. I forget that I have a SLEW of hobbies, and that the purpose of this blog is to document my shifting obsessions. One of which is blogging. It's very meta.

New background! I thought I'd change it, since I'm no longer in London (sad) and it's no longer 2010. I'm afraid I have several half-thought out blog posts from London that aren't quite fleshed out. I may get to them. I want to get to them. But they just don't seem to be expressing themselves as well as I'd like.

Recently, I started a tumblr. Because I often have tiny things to post that don't warrant a full blog post, my Facebook friends get annoyed if I spam that page with links, and Twitter only has 140 characters. Just like I have an electronic device for every purpose, so do I have an internet home, hey?

The RWA RITAs are being announced. I've almost read half of the historical nominees, but only one of the regencies. This last year hasn't been the most excellent for my TBR pile.

My local Border's is closing. That makes me sad, but I will be trying out various other methods of getting my books. There is no romance-friendly local bookstore, though we do have a Barnes & Noble on the other side of town. I just don't really prefer B&N for my popular fiction needs. If it weren't for agency pricing, my Kindle would be a blessing at this point. But as it stands, on a grad student salary I have to wait until sales or coupons to buy books at all, so those agency priced books are usually a lost sale for me. On rare occasions will I pay full price.

That's all for now, but expect some catching up!

Library Book Sale - Fall 2010 Edition!

2010-09-25T11:48:00.003-05:00

So last year, I ventured into my local library's book sale and came away with a nice little stack of books. My birthday was this week, so I had some spending money, and my list was not nearly as organized, so this time I came away with a HUGE BAG full of books!

Here, in no particular order, is my list for this trip:

The Return of Rafe MacKade by Nora Roberts - the original 1995 Silhouette printing.. which is why I couldn't resist it.

Wild Child and The China Bride by Mary Jo Putney - I already own these, but I know people who haven't read them, so now I have copies to lend out and/or give away.

Thunder and Roses by Mary Jo Putney - don't think I own this one.. I still have boxes of books to unpack from my move, so I may.. but hey, another give away copy, eh?

To Catch an Heiress by Julia Quinn - adding to my Quinn collection!

Someone to Watch Over Me by Lisa Kleypas - to add to my keeper shelf, because I loved this book.

Seduce me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas - which I THOUGHT was the first book in the trilogy, and isn't, and I didn't get the third which was RIGHT THERE because I thought I couldn't find the second.. so I'm all kinds of confused now. Has anyone read this trilogy? Should I wait and start with the first book..?

Cutting Loose by Susan Andersen - I bought the second book in the Sisterhood Diaries series before knowing there was a first book, and now I have both of them! Yay!

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan - this is a "lend out" copy because I have this book on my Kindle. And love it.

The Heart of Christmas with stories by Mary Balogh, Nicola Cornick and Courtney Milan - I am saving this one for my trip to London for Christmas.

When the Duke Returns and A Duke of Her Own by Eloisa James - I'm not a huge fan of the Desperate Duchesses series, but I love Eloisa's writing enough that she automatically goes on the keeper shelf. What can I say, I'm loyal to a fault.

Uncommon Vows by Mary Jo Putney - I definitely know I don't have this one. :)

A Lady of Persuasion by Tessa Dare - my mom let me borrow her copies, and now I am starting my own Dare collection. Another author that automatically goes on my keeper shelf.

The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey - I love Lackey, and haven't read this one. We'll see!

Rhapsody by Elizabeth Haydon - if you haven't read this series, you need to. It's amazing. Epic fantasy FTW. This is replacing a copy I let a friend borrow that was never returned. I don't mind. :)

Four Complete Lord Peter Whimsey Novels by Dorothy Sayers - I owned no Whimsey novels but I LOVE THEM. At $1 for four, no way I could pass it up. :)

Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell - it looks fascinating.

Once Upon a More Enlightened Time by James Finn Garner - you really have to read this in order to get it. Fairy Tales told from an extreme PC perspective. Hilarious!

Wicked French for the Traveler by Howard Tomb - I flipped through it and giggled all the way so it gets added to my coffee table books.

Me: Stories of My Life by Katherine Hepburn - my namesake. And now I own it. :)

*whew* Quite a list, eh? And I spent less than $15 for the lot! There are a few more, but they are presents and I'd hate to spoil the surprise. ;)

Anyone else love to dig through library book sales? I'm sure you do. My friends were there earlier than I was - when the sale first opened - and they said a bunch of people beelined for the romance. It made me smile. Have you ever had to fight for a good find?

The times, they are a-changin'

2010-07-14T10:58:00.002-05:00

I ventured back onto Twitter yesterday for the first time in a while. One of the first tweets I read pointed me toward Marian Schembari's blog" where she described her horrendous experience getting into London. Read here: Part 1 and Part 2.

I have been to the United Kingdom several times before this trip, so I had an idea of what to expect going through customs. I had always traveled with my mother and her partner, who is a UK citizen, and we'd never had any issues getting into the country for holiday. This time, things just did not seem to be going my way. I hadn't managed to print out any of my itinerary or anything because I was having some serious printer issues (during finals week - no fun). I had all my confirmation numbers and dates and times written down in my travel journal, ready to go. When I got up to the customs window, the woman asked not only for my return ticket (which I didn't have because that would be silly to carry my return ticket around London for six weeks), but for the schedule for the Globe workshops we were attending. This was new to me. Part of my trip was for holiday with my family, and I had put their address on my form, and I told her who they were, so I thought I was set. Lesson one for international travelers: if you are traveling for any specific purpose, bring proof of that purpose with you in hard copy format. Those of you who read my Meredith Duran review might have noted that I left my packet of information in the US, so I had no proof. So she made me go back down to the United ticket counter to print my return itinerary and bring it back.

Fortunately, when I returned, there was a much nicer gentleman who helped me who asked me about my family, I told him, and he sent me on my merry way after seeing my return itinerary. Lesson two: bring proof of your return home. If you don't have a ticket yet to return home, as Marian's experience shows, it can bring all kinds of hell down on you. Even if you're American. Which leads to an even bigger lesson, and one that many people already know, but not all.

Don't assume that because you're an American, you will be treated like you are in America. Because you aren't. You are in someone else's home, and they are just as paranoid about immigrants stealing their jobs and terrorism as we are in America (I say this generally as I know not everyone agrees with these sentiments;- bear with me). After speaking to my London friends, I was informed that the British government has been super paranoid about everyone who comes across their borders lately, particularly since the 2005 bombings. I went in 2005 and 2007, but I was with family and was travelling through London for a short period of time. A woman travelling alone with no evidence about how long she's staying is suspect, even if she looks a perfectly nice girl who has no criminal record or anything. She could also be trying to sneak into the country to stay permenantly and try to work illegally - a major problem in the UK.

Gone are the days of spontaneous international adventures.

While I understand the desire to protect their country, Marian's account shows me how close I was from being a normal stuent/tourist to potential illegal immigrant/terrorist. The difference in treatment from one to the other is immense. There is no scale, you are good or bad. You are let go or you are imprisoned. You are waved through or you are iterrogated. There is no middle ground to work with. What infuriated me even more about Marian's account is the people she met who have no voice. No one interrogating them speaks their language, and they are unable to get in touch with anyone who can speak for them. Many of them were likely there to visit family. There are nationals of all varieties in London;- it is a wonderfully vibrant, diverse city. I would think it would be more efficient and make everyone's lives easier to have someone on staff who speaks some other languages besides English, don't you? This is common sense to me. If you are working an international terminal and running a detention facility that gets people coming through it of varying nationalities, finding some polyglots you can train certainly seems to be the way to go. There is a whole debate in this midst about what the British government calls 'value for money', which my London friends will rant about for days. I am not educated enough of the issue to make a statement about that here, but I can say that it seems awfully silly to me to yell at your prisoners instead of teaching your guards to speak Nigerian.

The other thing that scares me is that I know this happens in our country as well. Having friends and family who do come visit me from the UK, I have become extremely paranoid about them coming to visit me. Fortunately, they speak English. But what about friends of mine with relatives in other, non-English speaking countries? I know that one of my London friends has had an experience in the US with getting interrogated because he was flying inside the US by himself and was flying out from a different place than he was flying in.

I suppose the lesson is, be fully prepared with all the details of your trip and be ready to answer any questions about where you will be and when. But the lesson for me is, look more closely at what is going on in your own backyard. Because it is awfully difficult to criticize another country and their methods when you're not even sure what happens at home.

It saddens me that in today's world, which is increasingly international, we feel the need for all this security between citizens of various nations. Is this going to improve our way of life, or is this going to create more incidents like Marian's, only for people who have no voice?

Anyone with any advice, links, etc, feel free to post them here. This post turned into a bit of an angry diatribe, but it was intended to start a conversation. We need to have this conversation.

What to expect re: London

2010-07-14T10:28:00.003-05:00

As you can clearly see, my grand plan to update while I was in London did not go entirely as planned. This is a good thing, however, because it shows just how busy I was flitting from place to place. Then I came home and decided to shirk responsibility for a while, seeing as I won't have a chance to do that again until after graduation. Here I am, back in action, ready to buckle down and get some of these updates going. I'm planning to do a post about the differences in London theatre and American theatre, which will hopefully spark some conversation or debate, as well as a general recap about the shows I saw in the UK, and a discussion about the differences in the way British actors and American actors treat Shakespeare. I didn't read much romance while over there (I was too busy writing frantically in my journal), so reviews will have to wait until I tackle the TBR pile that actually grew while I was away (who knew?). I did see a lot of stuff, so expect some general 'pretty things' about the sights and sounds of England, Scotland and Wales. You can also expect something that I definitely did not expect that is a little sappy, but wonderful, and gives me hope for the world.

Look for a post later today about my adventures getting into London itself . . .

REVIEW: Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran

2010-05-10T03:00:00.001-05:00

Safely landed in the UK! London Heathrow is a lot smaller than I remember it being – perhaps because of the stretches and stretches of walkway leading from the terminal. Once I got down to the arrivals lounge it seemed like there wasn't enough room for everyone just from my plane.

I'm adopting a review structure – new to me, but not new overall. My darling mother uses a WIN/FAIL review structure, and considering that that's pretty much how I think of the books I read, and we speak like that to each other all the time, I've decided to steal it. You can read her reviews at her VOX blog.

I managed to read Wicked Becomes You on the airplane after having a freakout attack when I realized I'd left my packet of information at school (I have a friend coming to the rescue and bringing it with her – yay for being the first one to arrive and having friends to save your ass). After absorbing myself entirely in her world, and not getting much sleep because of it, my status as a Meredith fangirl remains solid.

While this book takes a turn away from Meredith's usual dark, thought-provoking fare, I was really impressed with her versatility. She handles her hero and heroine, Alex and Gwen, with a dexterity that reminds me of Julia Quinn, only as I imagine her to be after a couple of martinis.

Gwen is the darling of London. She makes an effort to be extra polite to everyone, even when they give her the cut direct. She is stood up at the alter – not once, but twice – despite having quite an impressive fortune of her own left to her by her dead parents and brother.

Alex, our hero, was her brother's best friend and made a deathbed promise to look after Gwen and make sure she was settled properly. We see that he is intrigued by her and on the way to falling in love with her even before she is jilted. Only, once she decides she's sick of being nice after her second fiance leaves her and wants to be bad for a while, Alex is even more intrigued to the point of whisking her away on some pretty fantastic adventures . . . in bed.

Corny fortune cookie references aside, I loved that Gwen was more than just the “good girl gone bad”. She obviously has depth to her, a brain, and a sense of street smarts from trying to survive in the upper class. Her parents were nouveau riche, so she has something to prove for most of her life. And certain things were practically beaten out of her – I won't ruin it for you by telling you what.

The soul-revealing scenes, particularly on Alex's side, made me weep and my heart flutter. I'm one of those persons who doesn't really need the three magic words to believe an HEA; this scene was amazing for Alex's honesty and his obvious devotion to Gwen's happiness. If I had to say one thing that I didn't like as much about this book, it would be that I thought Alex's acceptance of his love for Gwen was just too damn easy. Boy had a lot of baggage, and we didn't really see him struggle with it. Gwen was the one to resist for far longer than was really necessary. Alex was also pretty demanding and insistent towards the end. But the words he uttered were sincere, and Gwen really does have him wrapped around her finger . . . she just doesn't know how to use it yet. We do see that he is completely gaga over her and devoted to her happiness. Just a stubborn ass.

And the sex? Duran's voice is one of my favorites. Steamy, powerful, and heart-rending.

Overall, I'd say this book was a definite WIN.

London Bound!

2010-05-09T14:51:00.001-05:00

Well, here I am at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, about to embark on what is sure to be one of the grandest adventures of my life. I remembered almost everything I intended to pack, and will have to live without my Gorillapod (a shame..). I've just had my last Chicago Dog until I return. And I've been browsing my pamphlets to see what exactly I plan to see in my free time.

We have three weeks kind of planned out for us, but after that our time is our own. I was planning on visiting Scotland, North Wales, Liverpool and Dublin for sure. But I'm done in Dublin with oodles of time left.. so I've decided I get to explore on my own for a bit, because I have so much I want to see!

Next year in our program we are developing one-person shows based on one character from a Shakespeare play. I've chosen Margaret of Anjou from the Henry VI plays as well as Richard III. It means I have to memorize three plays' worth of lines, but Margaret will be a good challenge for me. While I'm in the UK I'm hoping to connect to several locations mentioned in the scripts. I'm still making my list because I haven't yet re-read through all of the text, but I'm hoping to have that done by the end of the flight.

Speaking of the flight, besides "homework", I'm planning on at least reading Wicked Becomes You by Meredith Duran. I love Meredith's writing, and I've purposefully been saving her new book for this flight.

I might sleep also. I even have a fancy new neck pillow for just that purpose.

Here's hoping the volcano doesn't keep me down. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in London!

In all seriousness..

2010-05-03T20:54:00.002-05:00

Y'all, Nashville is flooding.

My first reaction, as a horrid, selfish human being, was to non-so-gently place my face in my palm and realize that this is what happens when I try to do something cool like go to Romance conferences.

My second reaction was how horrid the damage to this beautiful city is. Now, I've never visited Nashville, but I was really looking forward to it. It is a city of music, and I love music. It has a rich history and a vibrant community. @rwitherell over on Twitter posted this picture of the damage. It's awful, folks.

I've heard that now the Gaylord hotel, where the RWA Conference was to be held, is sending out cancellation notices for reservations for the Conference. While this is an inconvenience, I'm more concerned that the people of Nashville stay safe, and that the city gets back on its feet. If you're able to help, Nashville's public radio station, WPLN, has a post up on their website on ways to do so.

In the meantime, let's hope for some dry weather. And to all of my friends out there - stay safe. Please.

On London and Venice

2010-05-01T14:00:00.002-05:00

Let's start with Venice..

Heidenkind over at Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books has announced her Venice Challenge! The challenge is to read six books, of whatever genre you wish, that take place in Venice, Italy. The challenge runs from today (May 1, 2010) to a year from today (May 1, 2011).

I have a preliminary list set up. Some of them may not be specifically in Venice, but I will find that out as I dig into them. They all came highly recommended, so they won't be a waste even if I have to add one later.

Your Scandalous Ways - Loretta Chase
Lord of the Night - Susan Wiggs
The Glassblower of Murano - Marina Fiorato
Wings of the Falcon - Barbara Michaels
The Music of the Night - Lydia Joyce
Veiled Passions - Tracy MacNish
A Notorious Woman - Amanda McCabe
The Defiant Mistress - Claire Thornton
The Venetian Mask - Rosalind Laker

These were recommended on various blogs and websites that I visited. If you're interested, you should first sign up at Heidenkind's Blog, and check out her recommendations. I also found this website, which has a good, long list of fiction set in Venice.

Now, on to London!

My MFA program is the bomb-dizzy. Our first summer, we will be going to London to study for two weeks at Shakespeare's Globe, as well as a workshop at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford. Three weeks total for our program, and then I am going to do a bit of traveling around the island on my own, including a visit to my wonderful family in Scotland. I read voraciously when I travel, and I hope to be able to keep you updated and entertained with photos and reviews while I'm over there. We have some required reading, we will be seeing some productions, and, best of all, we will be working working working.

Also coming up this summer, I will be making an appearance at the RWA Literacy signing in Nashville, and hanging out for the duration of the conference, though I won't be attending panels or anything. I will, however, be attending "unofficial" events as much as possible and exploring Nashville in all its bluegrass glory. I'm also going to the Lilth Fair, and helping a friend out at GenCon, so all-in-all, I will be a very busy traveler this summer.

The rest of my life has some big shoes to fill.

Library Used Book Sales FTW

2010-03-20T14:05:00.004-05:00

We all know how thrilling a library's used book sale can be. Paperbacks at super-cheap, raising money for libraries at the same time, sometimes finding rare or OOP books that you have been lusting over for years.. It's generally a good time, and worth the getting up early on the weekend. My local library has its semi-annual used book sale this weekend, and I stopped by this morning with some friends, list in hand. It was my first time at such a huge event - it was much bigger than I anticipated in my small little town!

I started by wandering down into the basement, where the sale was held. I spotted one friend right away, lounging in the Health section. She seemed content, so I beelined for the Romance section. And the angels sang. It was an amusing experience from a human behavior observation standpoint as well. There were two women who were on the hunt. They had a list and already two boxes full of books. They were helping each other find things, even bartering the books they had discovered in the stacks to get the exact books they needed.

My list was much shorter. I created my list from a sadly outdated TBR list that I share with my mother, and realized that I wasn't sure how many of those I was still interested in reading. So I trudged over (as much as one can online) to Dear Author to check out their Top 100 Romances list and decided to focus for the day on Judith Ivory, Patricia Gaffney, Laura Kinsale, and Jo Goodman. Out of these, I have only read Ivory, and even then only Black Silk. Considering these women are often praised in the Romance community, I felt I needed an education (us younger generations, ya know..). So I stuck primarily today to what I didn't know.

Here, in no particular order, is my haul for the day, and the reason I chose it from the literally hundreds of books available:

Laura Kinsale, The Dream Hunter - in the top five on DearAuthor's list.

Laura Kinsale, For My Lady's Heart - in the top 100 list on DearAuthor

Sherry Thomas, Delicious - I do not own this book, and enjoyed it immensely when I read it. It's been on my "keeper" list for a long while.

Beverly Jenkins, Something Like Love - I have heard marvelous things about Jenkins. Secondarily, there has been a lot of discussion on race in literature lately in the blogosphere, and I feel I can't actively participate in a discussion without having read more literature by people of color.

Pam Rosenthal, Almost a Gentleman - I adored Rosenthal's The Slightest Provocation. Almost a Gentleman has been on my TBR for at least a year. I feel incredibly lucky to have scored this novel.

Jo Goodman, Wild Sweet Ecstasy - There were several Jo Goodman novels in the stacks - in fact, I may go back tomorrow afternoon and scout out some more once I check with some of the folks I frequently bother for recommendations. This was the only one in the stacks that was on DearAuthor's top 100 list, so it made the cut.

Judith Ivory, Black Silk - Yes, I have read it. Keeping it is kind of an option. However, it is in PERFECT condition, and I know someone who has a copy that is falling apart a little bit... and if not, I'm glad to keep it and lend it out.

There was another book, hope for the flowers by Trina Paulus that is kind of a children's book, but with some darker, adult themes. It spoke to me. I think this is one of those books that I really need at this point in my growth (as an actor and as a human being) and it fell into my hands.

My total cost for this trip: $4.00

I am very pleased with my purchases. I think some of these I nabbed because they are trade paperbacks, and I don't think everyone was looking quite as closely at the trades/hardcovers. I was a bit surprised that there wasn't any Gaffney in the stacks, and only the one Ivory - but then, I did get there at almost 11am and I know there were people there when the doors opened at 8am. I could have missed some good stuff. But I did mostly get books by new authors, and managed to resist (OH it was difficult) a TON of Lisa Kleypas, whose Bow Street Runners trilogy is one of my favorites. All the Julia Quinn that was there I own, as well as the Eloisa James - there wasn't a lot, however, and I think those might have been picked over before I arrived. If there is a check waiting for me in my mailbox today, I will most likely swing by again tomorrow and scout out the Kleypas and others. There were a lot of contemporary categories, so if anyone has any suggestions, I'm glad to take another list with me - categories are only 10 cents a pop!

We also decided, the three of us who undertook this adventure, to start a book club with the three of us at its center. We have a list of ladies to invite (we decided on ladies because we don't get to hang out with each other often enough) and we are planning to read one book a month and meet monthly to discuss it over brunch. It began by all three of us recommending several books to each other - we figured we'll never be able to remember all these, and it will help us move out of our comfort zone a bit.

We are calling it the "Fight Evil - Read Books" Book Club. Why? Because one of our ladies is a school librarian and she is raising money for her library - their budget was recently cut. Her fund-raising effort centers around a series of lunch packs, totes, etc, with a logo that says "Fight Evil - Read Books". We found this extremely amusing, so we're adopting it as our logo as well. I am going to post information about this fund-raiser on this blog once I get the information from her because I have a strong fondness for school libraries - my middle school library was my haven and my introduction to romance novels.

It was a rewarding morning/early afternoon out, and I am really excited to have reconnected with friends that are as passionate about reading as I am.

I swear, I'm alive!

2010-03-09T13:41:00.002-06:00

I was taken over by the monster known as GRAD SCHOOL! Yes, this beast has kept me from many of my favorite pastimes. I have so much reading to do for school that reading for pleasure has become rare, and when I do, I usually am prevented from writing a review by the looming reality of homework. And while I am a master (mistress?) of procrastination, somehow reviews and blogging seemed too obvious a procrastinatory technique.

This is my Spring Break, and the last few days I have been cooking and baking up a storm. The downside to this is that I've lost my camera cable, and the pretty pictures I took of the cupcakes I made from Rose Levy Berenbaum's The Cake Bible (Sour Cream Butter Cake, for those who own the book - only I didn't have sour cream, so I used Yogurt). I made a tasty pomegranate liquor buttercream using her Neoclassical Buttercream recipe. The buttercream did not turn out as planned. I fail at simple syrup frostings, apparently. Next cake I make, I am going to try her Dark Chocolate Ganache, and use the same liquor. Pomegranate + Dark Chocolate = Love.

For those of you who like to put your alcohol in your food, let me assure you that pomegranate liquor is ideal for frostings. In an American buttercream, however, it is insanely sweet. Some of us have a major sweet tooth and don't mind this, and it crusts excellently. But if you use any of Rose's recipes, you'll notice she has a caveat for adding liquor into your frosting. Any baker who puts this in the default recipe (even listing it as "optional") gets major props from me.

And if you bake and don't own The Cake Bible.... why not?! Get thee to a bookstore!

My other loves have also fallen by the wayside. Despite being in a production where the rehearsal process allowed for mucho knitting time, I was doing to much actual work on the show (unheard of!) to get anything really accomplished. I'm hoping I can remedy this in the second half of the semester, because I really want to learn how to knit socks before it turns into flip-flop weather.

My beloved books have suffered too. I've managed to finish the first two Tessa Dare novels, Goddess of the Hunt and Surrender of a Siren, and while I did not have time to write reviews for them both, I can recommend them heartily! I started the third, A Lady of Persuasion, but then life took me by the horns again.

It must also be pointed out that the only reason I got that much reading done was because I took some time away from school to go to the funeral of my Grandfather. He was the greatest man in my life, my hero and my inspiration. I miss him each day.

I'm hoping to get a new camera before I go to London (SQUEE!!) in May so I can post pictures of the wonderful sights I am seeing. We will see how my continuing adventures in graduate school.. er... continue.

Review - Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly

2009-11-02T22:59:00.003-06:00

I usually don't read category romances. When I do, they are recommended by friends on Twitter or in the blogosphere. So taking a chance on a category is kind of a big deal to me ~~even if that book is available for free from the Kindle Store~~. When I picked up Slow Hands by Leslie Kelly, all I knew was that I missed my boy, I needed a short, steamy romance, and that Harlequin Blaze delivers that.

What I found was a sweet, sometimes silly story. Madeline is a rich workaholic from a wealthy family who are all notoriously bad at relationships of the romantic variety. Jake is an "all-American boy" who loves baseball, hot wings, nachos, and women with curves. Luckily, Madeline loves all those things too.. er, except that last one. But she is one, so that's okay. It basically starts out with Jake spying Maddy from behind a curtain where he's getting auctioned off for a charity. He is instantly drawn to her because she looks very different from the other women at the event (she happens to be the only brunette) and she seems "out of place" there. She has come to outbid her stepmother on a European gigolo who is also at the auction so that her father's heart doesn't get broken again. Thanks to a mix-up in the program, Jake is sold as the gigolo instead of the Chicago Paramedic (the fact that this book is in Chicago = <3), and the relationship begins with Maddy thinking he's a man who has sex with women for money. Mind you, she's still drawn to him. Irresistibly, in fact. And he won't take no for an answer.

It sounds like I'm ragging on this book. I'm really not. I really enjoyed the silliness, and Maddy has the sense when she realizes her mistake to not blame Jake for going along with it (once he, of course, realized what she thought of him). What I didn't really enjoy was how faultless Jake came out of the whole thing. He was kind of the perfect guy, except for one moment of weakness when he verbally seduces Maddy in front of their waitress. Of course, it leads to mind-blowing sex, but he has a few moments of guilt for not being a gentleman.

Despite my eye-rolling at his perfect American Boy-ishness, Maddy had some real issues. But they weren't deep dark secret issues. She had to deal with normal woman stuff - the kind of hang-ups many women get about love and relationships. That, and there is a lot of steamy foreplay that makes this book sizzle. Kelly also has a great sense of humor and a talent for internal monologues that I admire.

Yes, I will read this book again. Yes, I am buying the next one in the series... did I honestly think they weren't going to let the Gigolo have his own story?

-------------------------------------------------

Recommended for a short, steamy, enjoyable read

NaNoReadMo

2009-11-01T08:32:00.010-06:00

Mandy over at She Reads was lamenting the fact that she has not had much success in writing for NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month. Many people, including readers and anyone else who is motivated, have joined in NaNoWriMo to challenge themselves to write a novel. Mandy has decided that no one should be subject to her creative writing, and so is showing her support in a new way, with NaNoReadMo. She has determined to read five novels this month and I have decided to join her. To make it more challenging for myself, I am not counting play-scripts or anything I'm reading for class.

The challenge lasts for the entire month of November, so technically it has begun! So join us - grab a stack of books and challenge yourself based on your own thoughts of what a good challenge for you would be (Mom, I'm looking at you here. Five novels in a month? You'll finish in a week).

My Book List for NaNoReadMo 2009

Black Silk, Judith Ivory
Goddess of the Hunt, Tessa Dare Finished 11/1
To Desire a Devil, Elizabeth Hoyt
Betrayed, P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
American Gods, Neil Gaiman

Extra Books I've read:
Slow Hands, Leslie Kelly

Whew!

2009-10-25T07:19:00.002-05:00

I have successfully stayed up until 7am. Holy cow. I think I might have drifted off there in the last ten minutes, but here I am! :)

I am going to go take a long nap now.

Hour 24 Survey!

2009-10-25T06:28:00.002-05:00

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Right around the 2 am mark was difficult, then I caught a "second wind" of sorts.

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?
The Lady Whistledown books. Short story collections, easy reads, and I find them amusing.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I will have to think on this one.

4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?
The Cheerleaders ROCKED. Also, I loved the YouTube videos in the last 6 hours. I used them to dance several times.

5. How many books did you read?
Two full books from start to finish, wrapped up two books I was in the middle of, started one and put it down, and am now trying to focus on one last short story.

6. What were the names of the books you read?
Indiscreet, Beasts of New York, Evernight, The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown

7. Which book did you enjoy most?
Indiscreet

8. Which did you enjoy least?
Good Omens, which is not on that list because I switched it out. It might not have been suited for the read-a-thon. I am hoping to come back to the book later.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?
I wasn't a cheerleader, but I can take this moment to thank all the awesome Cheerleaders who rah-rah'd and sis-boom-bah'd for me! I said it a lot during the read-a-thon, but I'll say it again. You guys and gals are awesome.

10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
I would definitely want to be a reader again some time when my TBR pile is huge like it is now. I think if I'm in a show, I will volunteer for the Cheerleader position though. :)

6:00 am - HOUR 24!! (18 hours reading!)

2009-10-25T05:50:00.003-05:00

Oh my gosh, you guys! I can't believe I managed to stay up this late. Only an hour to go until the end of the read-a-thon! I am feeling pretty good, actually. Claudia Gray's Evernight really helped me get through the last few hours. It's a real page-turner! I'd love to write a review about it, but I'm not sure it would be coherent. Maybe I'll find time to write a review tomorrow.

I have no idea what I'm going to read next! There's the sample chapter for Stargazer in the back of Evernight that I haven't read yet, and then I have a couple of short stories I can start. If I'm going to survive this next hour I need something that will grab me right away!

I need to hydrate some more and then jump back in! Thanks, cheerleaders, for keeping me going and offering your sage advice! :)

4:00 am - Hour 22 (16 hours reading)

2009-10-25T04:25:00.002-05:00

Evernight by Claudia Gray is the next book on my list! I'm about halfway through it right now, and I'm finding it really fascinating. I was a little shaken up in the last chapter - some things weren't quite believable. I did manage to get through the first half in one sitting - woo!

I'm trying to keep it going for another 2 and a half hours, but my couch is incredibly comfy..

It might be time for emergency caffeine reserves.

2:00 am - Hour 20 (14 hours reading)

2009-10-25T02:13:00.002-05:00

Finished Indiscreet! Yay!

Indiscreet is about a "fallen" woman who has escaped the sneers of the British aristocracy in Turkey with her scholarly uncle who has raised her. Edward Foye is a "beast" of a man who is convinced that, since his last fiancée left him, no woman could possibly love such a man.

While the first couple chapters had me confused, I really got into Indiscreet. There was something there, and several beautiful moments that kept me moving forward, and then from a certain point (don't want to spoil anything!) I found myself not noticing that two hours had passed.

I really love Jewel's writing. She has a unique voice, class and style. But I felt that often, especially in the first couple of chapters, there was just too much introspection. I love some introspection, but eventually they started thinking the same things they'd thought before, only phrased differently. Once things started moving forward, though, it improved.

I enjoyed the subtle growth of their love - it was like they were normal people who just gradually fall in love with each other. And Sabine says several times later in the novel that she hadn't really loved him then because she didn't really know him. That and the astute observations Sabine makes about gender during their adventure together (trying very hard not to spoil anything!!) made me love her brain. I do wish she hadn't caved in to Foye so easily.

Plus, she never used his given name. I am a sucker for the "use my given name" moment, corny though it may be.

Foye himself reminded me very much of my own boy, which can be really depressing when he's so far away. One way he didn't, though, was his insistence that he was ugly - and I'm not sure he ever gets over that.

Overall, a fantastic read, and smart, and PS, the sex is pretty freaking amazing. :)

Recommended

1:00 am - Hour 19 (13 hours reading)

2009-10-25T01:04:00.003-05:00

I have spent more than half of a day reading. Holy cow. I definitely won't even hit 20 hours of reading time, but I am excited to have arrived at the half-day point at least. Does that mean I did a half-marathon? ;)

Indiscreet is keeping me turning pages. My friends who came over were delightfully amused by my reactions. I am nearly done, and by the next update will probably be finished and moving on to the next in the stack.. I don't yet know what that will be. We will see how I feel.

Cheerleaders, your clever cheers amuse me greatly.

Also, I need to eat some more cookies.

11:00 pm - Hour 17 (11 hours reading - wow!)

2009-10-24T23:29:00.002-05:00

It honestly does not feel like I've been reading for 11 hours.

What has happened in the last couple of hours? Indiscreet is getting really really good. I also had some friends pop over to give me real-life cheerleading. They brought books too. Hopefully they will help me eat these cookies so I don't end up eating them all in the next 7 and a half hours!

Once more unto the breach, dear friends!

9:00 PM - Hour 15 (9 hours reading)

2009-10-24T21:48:00.002-05:00

I almost went for two hours straight with Indiscreet! Wow! My verdict so far is that there are some things that don't flow quite as easily as some of Carolyn's other work, but there are moments between Sabine and Edward that are beautiful and memorable. Obviously it kept me going, because I didn't put it down for nearly two hours. :)

It's getting colder in my living room, and I really don't want to turn on the heat, so I'm instead going to start the Hot Chocolate portion of the night! I am actually really excited to have another 9 hours of reading ahead of me. This is a quiet time of night. Just me, the ticking of the clock, and books. *le sigh*

8:00 pm - Hour 14 (8 hours reading time)

2009-10-24T20:16:00.002-05:00

I finished The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown. Honestly, it was the last short story I hadn't finished. I don't know if it was like the last chocolate in the box - you're saving it for a special occasion - or not, but I'm glad I finally read Julia's story, "36 Valentines". It was very sweet and exactly what I needed to get back into reading-land after dinner.

And with that attitude, I think I'm ready to jump into Indiscreet! I have been waiting for just the right moment for this book. It's one of my most anticipated books of the year (next to Desire a Devil by Elizabeth Hoyt and Meredith's Durans two releases from this year, Bound by Your Touch and Written on Your Skin). I'm pretty excited.

7:00 PM - Hour 13 (7 Hours reading)

2009-10-24T19:17:00.002-05:00

My reading time was interrupted by a visit from an alternative energy salesperson. On a Saturday night? Really?

Anyway, I took the dinner break opportunity to switch away from Good Omens and read the last short story from The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown - Julia Quinn's contribution to the collection! I am nearly done, but my roommate decided he was done reading and is watching tv/playing video games so I have relocated to my bedroom to enjoy the quiet while I read. When he goes to bed I can take back the couch. Buahahaha!

Here's the mid-event survey from the wonderful organizers at Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon!

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1. What are you reading right now?
The Further Observations of Lady Whistledown

2. How many books have you read so far?
The only finish I have is Beasts of New York - I usually get much more read when I have spontaneous read-a-thons on weekends.

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel! I'm saving it for a little while.

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
All I've had to do is turn down invitations to things that other people think are more exciting. They don't know what they're missing!

5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I've had plenty of interruptions and distractions, so I ended up just locking myself in my room to read.

6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How little reading I'm getting done! Maybe it was the distractions/preparations for guests (only one ever actually appeared), but I haven't really read that much.

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
It pretty much rocks my world. :)

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
Make sure I have a quiet space to myself - I would probably not bother inviting people over seeing as there wasn't much interest in my theatre variation. This would free up my day significantly.

9. Are you getting tired yet?
I got a late start, admittedly, so I'm not really tired yet.

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
I think next year I will choose more short story collections. I like being able to switch without having to leave off in the middle of a story. There is also more of a sense of accomplishment.

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As I've said on Twitter, the cheerleaders are just doing great! It keeps me updating! :)

See you at the end of Julia's story!

5:00 pm - Hour 11 (5.5 hours reading time)

2009-10-24T17:16:00.003-05:00

Hokay, so. Tea and biscuits have been consumed. Things have actually started to happen in Good Omens. We have one guest who is working his way through The Life and Death of King John by Shakespeare and we're about to have another pot of tea. For those curious, we are drinking Peet's Earl Grey with Bergamot. It is tasty.

This hour's Mini-Challenge is from Joy Story.

I was extremely lucky as a child to have a family passionate about literature. They were also passionate about theatre, but it started (as most things in theatre do) with the text. I learned how to read using street signs as my mother drove, and by the age of 3 I was reading with her. Some of my strongest memories are she and I reading the Oz books by L. Frank Baum. We would read them together, often switching chapters so we both had an opportunity to read. She continued that tradition with my brothers and sister. Even today, she and I share book recommendations, and on our cross-country trip, I read several chapters from a Nora Roberts book to her when it was her turn to drive.

Reading has been so important in my life, and I can't imagine not growing up with a book in my hand. The sad truth is that not every child has the opportunity to explore the world of books. Organizations like Reading is Fundamental help to connect children and their families not only to the world of literature, but to the community around them. They don't just give access to books for children, but let them keep books so that they can experience the joy of owning the key to a world beyond their own.

To my mother, I say: Thank you.

Thank you for always having the time to read to me, despite being in school and raising two children.

Thank you for encouraging me to explore books beyond my reading level.

Thank you for carting me to the library, and covering for me when I lost my library card so I could still check out books.

Thank you for continuing to share your love of literature with me so that I am reminded that there is a world beyond my "adult responsibilities".

I love you.

4:00 PM - Hour 10 (Reading time: 4.5 hours)

2009-10-24T16:12:00.002-05:00

I have just read through 40+ pages of exposition in Good Omens and, as funny as some bits are, my eyes are starting to droop. I will give it another couple chapters and if it doesn't grab me, I am switching to a romance!

People may be coming over shortly. I have a pile of tea cookies (picture to be posted later) and am eager for a pot of tea!

Happy 10th hour everyone!

3pm - Hour 9 (Reading time: 3.5 hours)

2009-10-24T15:04:00.003-05:00

Happy 9th hour! I hope everyone is having a great time so far!

These last several hours were mostly preparation for me - guests will be arriving the next hour or so. I am baking some very easy (yet delicious) tea cookies and have started Good Omens. I'm laughing hysterically already at the Dramatis Personae.

Thanks to all the cheerleaders! It's really inspiring coming to blog and seeing all your comments!

Noon - Hour 6 (Hour 3 reading)

2009-10-24T12:26:00.003-05:00

I just finished Beasts of New York! It was epic.

Beasts of New York is about a squirrel named Patch who, out of desperation and need, adventures beyond his home in Central Kingdom to try and save it. While it seems that fate is conspiring against him, taking him further from his home than any squirrel has traveled, his journey is a necessary step to saving all of Central Kingdom from the evil trying to consume it.

What did I love about this book? Well, first of all, Patch is an amazingly brave squirrel. No one can read this book and not admire his determination. He has a way of making friends wherever he goes, not by being overtly friendly, but by being him. Would we could all so easily say, "I don't care what the other squirrels think."

This book reads like a fantasy novel, even though it is set in New York City. The horrors that Patch encounters at times seemed so unreal to me, despite knowing where they were. Seeing them from another pair of eyes gave some things a new air of terror and others one of wonder.

This is not a light novel. It is very dark, and at times absolutely horrifying, but I connected so much to Patch as a hero that, in the end, I was left with tears of relief and happiness in my eyes.

Recommended
--------------

I may be taking a break to clean myself up, get some food, and get my apartment in order for the tea-time play readings. Looking forward to diving into another book shortly!

ETA: For those interested, Beasts of New York is available for free at Beastsofnewyork.com or on Feedbooks. It will be released in print in 2010 thanks to the amazing response Evans received on Feedbooks!

11:00am - Hour 5 (hour 2 reading)

2009-10-24T11:06:00.001-05:00

I got started late on the Read-a-Thon because my body demanded a full night's sleep. *tsk* Silly body. Needing rest.

I started at 10am Central US with Beasts of New York by Jon Evans. One of the things I love about the Kindle is that it will tell me percentage-wise how far I am through the book. I started around 30% this morning and am now at 65%. Honestly, this has become one of my favorite books! The animal kingdom that Evans pulls us into is amazingly realistic. I will never look at a squirrel the same way again! If you haven't been to his website to grab the book, you should do so.

I'm not sure if I'm going to read any of the other Feedbooks books I downloaded for today, what with the reading this afternoon and all, but if I do, I will be sure to post them here!

Despite starting late, I thought I'd post the first meme from the day. Since it's kind of a "getting to know you" thing. ;)

Where are you reading from today?
My apartment! I have a comfy loveseat that I've been using this morning, and may bring in some pillows to sprawl on the floor later.

3 facts about me
(these will be kind of random)
1. I love Mexican food - REAL Mexican food.
2. I will probably read less today than I have on non-read-a-thon days, which makes me giggle when I think about it.
3. I am more excited that I've given my friends an opportunity to read more than they would have by inviting them to join me than I am about the reading I will do myself.

How many books do you have in your TBR pile for the next 24 hours?
I am not anticipating going through more than 2 or 3 books today. At the top of my list I have Beasts of New York, after which I will probably read Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel, then Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. If I still have time after that, I will most likely move on to either some Oz books, or dig into my HUGE TBR Romance pile!

Do you have any goals for the read-a-thon (i.e. number of books, number of pages, number of hours, or number of comments on blogs)?
My goal is to have fun. :)

If you’re a veteran read-a-thoner, Any advice for people doing this for the first time?
This is my first time! Yay!!

See you in an hour!

Read-a-Thon!

2009-10-24T00:49:00.000-05:00

Dewey's 24 hour Read-a-Thon begins tomorrow at 7am my time! First, I want to thank everyone who passed on recommendations. Not all of them made it to my short list, but they are on my future to-read list. I'm pretty excited, but bummed that this week was so busy that I won't be able to read for the entire day. Too much to do! But to make up for it, I've put a little twist on my Read-a-Thon!

I've asked my theatre friends to come for tea with a script that they've always wanted to read out loud. It might be awkward with only one copy, but we'll see. I've also asked people to bring books too if they want to sit down and just read stuff next to me. I have no idea what will happen! This will be a fun experiment and my fail miserably, but that's okay. :)

The plan so far is to wake up at 7am, make some morning tea, check out the blogs so far, and get to reading Beasts of New York by Jon Evans. It's the free eBook that got a bit of buzz last week when it was announced that it would be going into print production for 2010! Go Jon! It will very likely be the first review I post.

Also on my "for sure" list is Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel. I love Carolyn's work, especially her regency romances, so I am looking forward to this one. My mother recommended it, and usually when my mother recommends something I like it (but not always).

For the play reading, I am very very tempted by some Christopher Durang I have laying around. I also have some David Ives I haven't touched in a while. But I have no Rich Orloff, who would be a fabulous addition - I have a fondness for 10-minute comedies, obviously.

Hopefully much of this will get blogged. I am putting aside as much as I can for Sunday, even if it means going to bed before the 7am mark. I will be cheering as much as possible as well, and so should you! Check out the list of blogs on the website and pay everyone a cheery visit!

24 Hour Read-a-thon

2009-10-15T19:22:00.000-05:00

After discussing with some of my friends, I have decided to join Dewey's 24-hour Read-a-Thon! Because I am a nerd and also because I have an interesting idea I am excited to use for it. This idea being the sharing of books and thoughts on books. I have spoken to some of my friends offline and they are going to JOIN ME in my quest! None of them will be participating for the full 24 hours, but it will be like I am on my own personal quest and they are coming to lend their support for a while. :) It will also force me to take a break to make tea and such, and I am hoping that some interesting tales will develop as well. There is, of course, the expected outcome that we will all come away with a longer book list, and that we may get more talking done than reading. But my favorite part of literature is the sharing of thoughts and ideas.

Now I get to make a list of which books I want to read for the Read-a-Thon. Suggestions are welcome! As I compile it, I will post it here. :)

Handwarmer season!

2009-10-11T15:35:00.000-05:00

For the sake of keeping track of everything in one place, I am adding my knitting/crochet rambles here.. because I don't really need two blogs, do I?

Here in the Midwest USA it is getting colder, which means hats and scarves are a MUST, but also, my favorite thing in the world to make - HANDWARMERS!

I thought I'd get started with something a little different. I've never cabled before, and I really want to tackle it. I have some stash yarn that I can't really figure anything out for, and some of it is wool - nice and warm and toasty! I also have two skeins of Caron Simply Soft laying around that I have been using for stitch practice and could be easily used to practice something like handwarmers. So here I am, in October, knitting up a storm in my oh-so-luxurious free time.

I am starting with Persephone Fingerless Mitts by Smariek Knits. Unfortunately, I have no fingering weight yarn in my stash, but I have used my Simply Soft on size 3 DPNs before with relative success. I had to adapt the pattern due to the different gauge, and it turned out pretty okay! I'm not going to say it's spectacular, but the point is to keep my hands warm and practice cabling. So I'd say it was a success. ;)

You can see there are a couple of mistakes - the adapted pattern in the cable didn't quite work early on, and there is a stitch I picked up backwards so I have a random purl in this column of knit stitches, but overall I really like the look. I finished the left one last night and will post a new picture when both are completed.

I'm hoping to make a hat this weekend too - my hat is lovely but not quite as warm as I'd like it to be. I have a pattern from TepperWear that is easy and fast that I will be using.

Freezing rain is supposed to come in a few weeks. I need to knit faster!

On Graduate school and literature

2009-10-11T14:59:00.001-05:00

Several major things have happened to change my life in the last few months. First, I started my MFA Acting program. Good-bye free time! I am reading many plays and related texts for classes, which is a good thing, but I am still adjusting to my new schedule.

Second, I got a Kindle from my boy for my birthday this year! This has changed my life in several significant ways, not the least of which is spending much of my time on Feedbooks downloading all the classic literature I haven't read yet or haven't read in years. I can also carry my Shakespeare with me without lugging around a Complete Works.. oOOooooo..

These changes relate directly to my reading life, obviously. The books I am reading are not books I would have chosen to read on my days off, but it has opened me up to some new literature (mostly non-fiction) that I otherwise would not have explored. Good thing. I am reading less romance, sadly, not only because I just can't afford to buy new books ~~and have been too lazy to go to the library and get a library card to check them out~~ but also because I am reading so much other stuff that there just isn't enough time in the day!

I am considering joining Dewey's Read-a-Thon to help remind me to update here with all the delicious things I'm reading. Much of it is life-changing and awesome.

To Give and To Get

2009-08-06T19:27:00.001-05:00

Shiloh Walker - as those of you who follow her on Twitter or her blog - posted recently about the flooding of the Louisville Free Public Library. She is sponsoring a book drive to help recover the lost books as well as any books that can be used for auction (signed books, etc). You can find her blog post here with information on how you can help. It is always sad when a community loses a valuable resource such as this, so please take the time to help Louisville recover some of what it has lost.

DearAuthor and Smart Bitches Who Love Trashy Books are promoting their Save the Contemporary campaign this week with the subject "Celebrate the Category". They're offering some killer prizes, including some Harlequin shwag and two Category romances that Sarah and Jane adore. For details on how to enter, visit their post here. It's a worthy campaign - I myself have never read a Category romance, so it's time to roll up my sleeves and start one! You should do the same!

Double Review - Talk Me Down & Start Me Up by Victoria Dahl

2009-07-26T21:42:00.001-05:00

Those who recommend romance novels to me (i.e. my mother) have been at me to read Dahl's contemporaries for several months now, since I got back into the Romance Swing. I was in a Historical Romance kick for a while and needed a good contemporary to spice things up, so I finally picked these up. And I am SO glad I did!

Tumble Creek is a little town in rural Colorado where everyone is in everyone's business, few secrets are successfully kept, and you see the same faces every day. Talk Me Down centers around Molly Jennings, who moves back from Denver loaded with secrets and the need for inspiration for her super-sekrit work - she's an erotic fiction writer. She finds it, as she has for years, in her oldest crush, Ben Lawson, now the police chief (fitting name for a police officer, y/y?). Since she's back in Tumble Creek, her fantasy is there in the flesh, not in her dreams, and she can't resist trying to get a little taste. Only he ends up needing more from her than a steamy affair, and her need to keep secrets could ruin everything.

Start Me Up is about Molly's friend, Lori Love, who inherited her father's car shop after a terrible accident, and Molly's brother Quinn, a successful architect. Lori feels stuck in a rut, and fills her nights reading books from Molly's genre of literature. She realizes that she can take some control back in her life if she can fulfill some of her wildest fantasies, and decides it is time to have a crazy sexy affair. Quinn is an old friend, though always absorbed in his work, and has never done well in relationships. Lori offers him sex on a platter and he takes it with glee, not knowing that he would find himself caring way too much about what is supposed to be a casual summer fling.

One of the things I adored about these two novels is that these women are unabashedly horny. They have a sex drive, and they're not afraid to use it. Molly is more outspoken about it, and often says more than she should, but once Lori gets started - whew! It's nice after reading several historicals in a row where women are taught that sex is an uncomfortable "duty" to switch over to novels where a woman's sexuality is celebrated. The most beautiful part is that it is celebrated, but Ben and Quinn don't take advantage.

While I loved both novels, I liked Lori more as a character. Her journey to rediscover herself after sacrificing her dreams for her responsibilities is one I can strongly relate to. I know her. Molly was a bit silly, but not silly in an "I'm going to throw you into the wall" kind of way. More like the friend you have who always gets too tipsy at the bar (or acts like it anyway) and makes you snort Coke out your nose with outrageous comments. But her growth as a character didn't interest me as much, though she was dreadfully amusing in both novels.

I felt the suspense in Talk Me Down was more well-developed and way more exciting. I genuinely feared for Molly. Dahl kindly gave us mind-blowing love scenes followed by fear-inducing stalker scenes so I went from one emotional extreme to another in a heartbeat. Start Me Up's suspense felt almost like excess, except that it was important for Lori and Quinn at a couple of key points.

Overall, these two novels are both HOT. Naughty, delicious, and completely unapologetic. Woo hoo! And Dahl has an incredible sense of humor. There were many laugh-out-loud moments, both in and out of the bedroom. There was a joy in these two couples' stories that touched me, though each couple had their unique qualities and discoveries. I am very excited for Lead Me On next year, the third in the series. :)

For some more of my rambles on these two novels, check out my GoodReads page.

You can check out Victoria Dahl's official website at VictoriaDahl.com where you can find snippets from her historical romances (also hot) and The Wicked West, the story written by Molly (aka Holly Summers) in Talk Me Down.

Review - Fool for Love by Eloisa James

2009-07-25T13:27:00.000-05:00

Fool for Love by Eloisa James

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Another James that I will re-read, for sure!

The Woman

Lady Henrietta Maclellan longs for the romantic swirl of a London season. But as a rusticating country maiden, she has always kept her sensuous nature firmly under wraps -- until she meets Simon Darby. Simon makes her want to whisper promises late at night, exchange kisses on a balcony, receive illicit love notes. So Henrietta lets her imagination soar and writes...

The Letter

A very steamy love letter that becomes shockingly public. Everyone supposes that he has written it to her, but the truth hardly matters in the face of the scandal to come if they don't marry at once. But nothing has quite prepared Henrietta for the pure sensuality of...

The Man

Simon has vowed he will never turn himself into a fool over a woman. So, while debutantes swoon as he disdainfully strides past the lovely ladies of the ton, he ignores them all... until Henrietta. Could it be possible that he has been the foolish one all along?

Henrietta is a delightful heroine, despite the fact that she is ignorant about matters of making babies. Considering her particular circumstances, and the fact that she is naturally intelligent (helping prepare the school's lessons for the week, etc), I thought she would be the type to find out everything she could about makin' babies and having them, but she stuck to raising them. That was one thing that didn't quite click with me.

Despite all that, I thought Simon and Henrietta were delightful together. Simon is mysterious, full of mischief, and obviously admirable of Henrietta's intelligence. One of the many things I loved about this novel is it was about these two people finding their way to love - no super-sekrit plot, no ex jumping from the shadows. They were very sweet together, and together the two of them have to overcome Henrietta's fears about having children.

Their dialogue is quick and clever, and is the best kind of foreplay! Simon is obviously smitten with Henrietta's intelligent banter, and he never questions it. Henrietta enjoys making him react, and so is encouraged to speak her mind - something I definitely appreciate.

Because this one was so sweet, and I almost never felt any actual danger for either of them, it was an easy read and warmed me down to the tips of my toes. I will definitely re-read this one, especially when I need to connect to a couple that so obviously fits well together.

View all my reviews >>

ETA: I will be seeing Candy from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books today at Bay Books in Concord! So excited!

Sailing new waters..

2009-07-23T23:04:00.001-05:00

Since this is a new blog, I thought I'd do a requisite introductory post to give you a little taste of my visions.

I may be small, but I've got GIANT plans...

I have a blog for my knitting projects, ChickyKnits, but I realized that one blog is not sufficient for my many passions. I will shortly be moving closer to Chicago and will have the great opportunity (if I have time while getting my MFA, that is) to see a bunch of amazing theatre. I have also recently started to review the insane number of books I read, which range from Sci-Fi/Fantasy, to Historical Fiction, to Romance, to Biographies. I also have a sweet tooth that likes to rear its ugly head, and when it does I become a baking fanatic. So this my opportunity to take all the ingredients that make up my crazy life and put them into one big pot. You can expect to see all kinds of reviews (theatre, film, television, books, recipes), and see pictures posted of the actual kitchen experiments I take part in.

To give you a taste, here are some photos of some of my baking experiments:

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes, made for St Paddy's day this year - Chocolate Guinness Cake, Chocolate Whiskey Ganache filling, and Bailey's Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

I often bake for the cast of the show I'm working on, and these were my "Ninecakes" - Black & White was the theme of the first act, so that was the theme for my cupcakes. Simple chocolate minis with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream, but oh so tasty! And they popped easily into mouths backstage!

Last year's Thanksgiving cupcakes - Sweet Potato-Pecan cupcakes with Maple buttercream frosting. These were some of my favorites!