tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226558882024-03-13T23:32:45.571-04:00Jennie's B(ook)logWhat I'm reading now, and how I like it.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.comBlogger385125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-66468520005128251352011-10-20T09:17:00.000-04:002011-10-20T09:17:57.460-04:00A (Very) Brief (Non-scientific) Study in Perceptions of Romance Novels<div>
<i>A few months ago, I asked y'all to <a href="http://jenniesbooklog.blogspot.com/2011/04/please-take-my-short-short-survey.html">answer a survey</a> for me. It was a project for a grad school class I was taking. I meant to share the results with you, but I never got around to it until now. Sorry! Read on if you're curious.</i></div>
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For my individual project, I decided to use my social media networks to find out a little bit about people's varying perceptions of romance novels. I am a long-time reader of popular fiction, including romance novels. And romance novels have long gotten a bad rap -- it's actually hard for some people to admit that they like to read them because so many people look down on them as "garbage." I'll totally admit that there are a lot of romance novels that are silly and badly written, and a small step up from porn in book format. But, in my opinion, there are lots of romance novels that are beautifully written, with great stories, complex characters, and interesting plots. A romance novel is simply a story that is about love, which ends happily. What's not to like?<br />
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But getting you all to understand my love of romance novels is not what this project is about. I thought it would be interesting to somehow capture a visual representation of people's perceptions of romance novels -- and somehow to compare the perception of people who actually read romance novels to the general population.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Methodology</b></span><br />
So, this study was not at all scientific. But there was a method to my madness. I created two surveys using Google forms. They both asked the same question: <i>What is the first word that comes to your mind when you think of romance novels?</i> I posted the link to one of the surveys to my facebook page, asking people to take the survey and then post the link to their facebook walls to spread it to more people. These participants were meant to represent the "general population." Now, granted, this is not at all a valid sample of the general population -- they are all people I know, or people who know someone I know. But it is a fairly mixed group of people. The second survey I posted to my <a href="http://jenniesbooklog.blogspot.com/2011/04/please-take-my-short-short-survey.html">book blog</a>. This is a blog that I've kept for the last five years or so, which is entirely devoted to my book reviews of popular fiction -- and the vast majority are romance novels. Nearly all the people who visit the blog are people who read romance novels. I asked this readership to take the survey, then post the survey to their own romance book blog. This group was meant to represent romance readers -- people who frequently actually read romance novels.<br />
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The number of participants for each survey was pretty good. I was hoping to have at least 100 people answer each survey. My facebook survey was slightly disappointing, since I only got 79 people to answer. My romance reader population was a problem at first, since not that many people read my blog. However, I sent an email to the writers of one of the most popular romance blogs in the blogosphere (<a href="http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/">Smart Bitches, Trashy Books</a>), and they were nice enough to tweet the plea for people to take my survey (AWESOME!). I soon had almost 200 responses to that survey.<br />
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I then took the one-word answers of each survey and plugged it into <a href="http://www.wordle.net/">Wordle</a>. This produced a word cloud that shows the most common answers in large font, with less popular answers in increasingly smaller fonts. It provides an immediate visual representation of people's perceptions of romance novels.<br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Results</b></span><br />
Here is the Wordle for the general population:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--lXbXO3Pwzs/TatceZyK-lI/AAAAAAAAABQ/qPNRM0OoLhw/s1600/general+population.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--lXbXO3Pwzs/TatceZyK-lI/AAAAAAAAABQ/qPNRM0OoLhw/s320/general+population.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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And here is the Wordle for the romance-reading population:<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5bZXO172AE/TatchqvnQjI/AAAAAAAAABU/PhDkotyv_EY/s1600/romance_readers.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y5bZXO172AE/TatchqvnQjI/AAAAAAAAABU/PhDkotyv_EY/s320/romance_readers.png" width="320" /></a><br />
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[You can click on the photos to view larger.]<br />
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You can see that there is a huge difference between these two populations' perceptions of romance novels. The general population thinks romance novels are all about sex, that they are trashy and cheesy. For romance readers, by far the most popular answer was "love," followed by happy and fun.<br />
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I loved the way this project allowed me to use my social networks to tap into large populations of people almost immediately. I posted the surveys and just sat back and watched as my data streamed in. I was also able to target a particular kind of participant by using the romance-reader blogosphere that I've become a part of. The power of Web 2.0!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-61787782292620255072011-10-18T10:50:00.006-04:002011-10-18T11:07:51.224-04:00Kristan Higgins glom<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h6XmEKL5wP0/Tp2V6mCrnoI/AAAAAAAABaQ/7PYduI5c-L8/s1600/allI.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 177px; height: 280px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h6XmEKL5wP0/Tp2V6mCrnoI/AAAAAAAABaQ/7PYduI5c-L8/s400/allI.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664848740178697858" /></a><br /><a href="http://angieville.blogspot.com/">Angie</a> posted a few weeks ago about Kristan Higgins, saying that she was a great writer for Jennifer Crusie fans. Of course, I am a huge Jennifer Crusie fan, so I decided to check Higgins out. So glad I did! I went on a glom and read all 7 of her books. And my library didn't have any of them, so I bought them all for my Kindle! This is quite a compliment to Higgins, as I am quite cheap.<div><br /></div><div>I'm not sure exactly how to classify Higgins' books -- they're contemporary romances, but they also feel a bit womens-fiction-y, in that they focus quite a lot on the heroine's family and personal growth/issues. And they're all very funny. I was immediately sucked into all of them -- I thought all the main characters (with just a couple exceptions) were really great and interesting and likeable. They're all set in New England, most of them in idyllic small towns.</div><div><br /></div><img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bJ2tp08LLnk/Tp2VP9QnOSI/AAAAAAAABZ4/yOokBugTYWE/s400/catch.JPG" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 177px; height: 280px;" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5664848007676770594" /><div>They're the kind of book I start reading and hours later I'm still reading and don't want to stop.</div><div><br /></div><div>My favorites were <i>Catch of the Day</i> (the heroine is an identical twin!) and <i>All I Ever Wanted</i>. And she has a new one coming out on 10/25 -- will probably have to buy that one too. :)</div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-48271027196344525062011-04-03T11:46:00.002-04:002011-04-03T11:55:14.760-04:00Please take my short, short survey!!Hi all! I am really hoping you all can help me out and follow the link below to take a super-short (1-question) survey about romance novels.<div><br /></div><div><a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dHdETXZiamI2OGRjT2t4RzZZQ19SMmc6MQ">TAKE THE SURVEY!</a></div><div><br /></div><div>I need about 100 people to take the survey, so I'd also really love it if anyone wants to post the link on their own blog. Because otherwise, I won't get enough participants. BUT, this survey should only be taken by people who read romance novels frequently (defined as several per year), so please post to your blog only if most of your readers fit this description.</div><div><br /></div><div>THANK YOU!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>This is for a school project. Basically I'm comparing people's perceptions of romance novels -- between those who often read romance novels and the general population (as I can reach through my facebook account). It's not exactly a scientific study, but I think it'll be interesting.</div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-59906628050124804812011-03-03T11:32:00.004-05:002011-03-03T11:57:45.101-05:00When Beauty Tamed the Beast, Eloisa James<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CBCwj8Pt934/TW_C2Bdwm9I/AAAAAAAABZs/eHWtaaLd2DA/s1600/When%2BBeauty%2BTamed%2Bthe%2BBeast%2Bby%2BEloisa%2BJames%253A%2BNOOKbook%2BCover.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 120px; height: 193px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CBCwj8Pt934/TW_C2Bdwm9I/AAAAAAAABZs/eHWtaaLd2DA/s400/When%2BBeauty%2BTamed%2Bthe%2BBeast%2Bby%2BEloisa%2BJames%253A%2BNOOKbook%2BCover.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5579892696697314258" /></a>Title: <b>When Beauty Tamed the Beast</b><div>Author: <b>Eloisa James</b></div><div>Published: <b>2011, HarperCollins</b></div><div>Category: <b>Historical Romance</b></div><div>Rating: <b>8/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div>Eloisa James is one of my absolute favorite romance authors, so I bought this one as soon as it came out. Even though I wasn't crazy about her last one (<i>A Kiss at Midnight</i>) and I was even less crazy about <i>The Lady Most Likely</i>, which she co-wrote with Julia Quinn and Connie Brockway. But <i>When Beauty Tamed the Beast</i> was lovely! Yay.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is (obviously) a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, though it follows the original storyline only very slightly and is quite original. Linnet Thrynne is the beauty -- the most beautiful woman on the marriage mart in London. Unfortunately, she attracted the attention of the prince, who then dumped her and ruined her reputation even though she didn't really do anything wrong. So her father sends her off to Wales as a prospective bride for Piers Yelverton, who is the son of a Duke. He is the beast of the story, but rather than being beastly in appearance, he's beastly in attitude -- a seriously painful injury sustained as a child has made him an irascible man who is rude to pretty much everyone. He's also a doctor, which is quite unusual for a gentleman of that time period. Linnet at first thinks that this match is impossible, but as she gets to know him better, she sees him for the good man he is.</div><div><br /></div><div>I really loved all the characters in this book. Linnet is smart and surprisingly not annoyingly snobby about her beauty. And Piers! So funny. As I was reading the book, I was thinking, who does this guy remind me of? And then it occurred to me -- <a href="http://www.fox.com/house/">House</a>! And the author actually says in the afterword that he was the inspiration for Piers. The dialog between Linnet and Piers is such a delight to read. I also appreciated that while it's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, it's really very original, with a great little twist on the story at the end.</div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-90373278677883071312011-02-28T18:33:00.003-05:002011-02-28T18:48:40.119-05:00Waking the Witch, Kelley Armstrong<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_3xhY94I2E/TWwxwuDVsdI/AAAAAAAABZk/8_qSDoVkIck/s1600/94998292.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v_3xhY94I2E/TWwxwuDVsdI/AAAAAAAABZk/8_qSDoVkIck/s400/94998292.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5578888751470719442" /></a>Title: <b>Waking the Witch</b><div>Author: <b>Kelley Armstrong</b></div><div>Published: <b>2010, Dutton</b></div><div>Category: <b>Fantasy</b></div><div>Rating: <b>7/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I can't believe this is the 11th book in the Women of the Otherworld series! It doesn't seem like that many, but I think I've read them all...</div><div><br /></div><div>This installment of the series focuses on Savannah Levine, the powerful young witch first introduced in <i>Stolen</i> (right?). She's 21 now, and she's been working for years with Paige and Lucas in the supernatural detective agency that they set up. She's been doing mostly grunt work and background research, but now Paige and Lucas are on vacation when a multiple-murder case comes in. Savannah sees it as her chance to take the primary investigator's role and prove to everyone that she can handle it. She travels to the little town where three women have been murdered in what appears to have been some sort of supernatural ritual. She has lots of suspects, as well as handsome men who all seems to want to help her investigate: Adam, from the previous novels; Jesse Aanes, another supernatural detective; and Michael Kennedy, a human police detective.</div><div><br /></div><div>I enjoyed this one, but it's not my favorite of the series. The mystery was well done and interesting, though I felt that the magical elements were slightly under-used until the very end. Savannah is a great character -- definitely the best part of the book -- and her budding relationship with Adam is sweet. I only have one major complaint: CLIFF HANGER. Argh! I flipped the last page thinking there just had to be more to read. But nope. Just have to wait until the next book, I guess. ;)</div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-57175916680648048212011-02-13T17:51:00.003-05:002011-02-13T18:16:29.223-05:00What the Librarian Did, Karina Bliss<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8J-u8Eq_9w/TVhgu-z_krI/AAAAAAAABZc/IJkExp1hKok/s1600/What%2Bthe%2BLibrarian%2BDid%2Bby%2BKarina%2BBliss%253A%2BNOOKbook%2BCover.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 122px; height: 193px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m8J-u8Eq_9w/TVhgu-z_krI/AAAAAAAABZc/IJkExp1hKok/s400/What%2Bthe%2BLibrarian%2BDid%2Bby%2BKarina%2BBliss%253A%2BNOOKbook%2BCover.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573310899122311858" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; "></span></a><div>Title: <b>What the Librarian Did</b></div><div>Author: <b>Karina Blis</b>s</div><div>Published: <b>Harlequin, 2010</b></div><div>Category: <b>Contemporary Romance</b></div><div>Rating: <b>8/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I hardly ever read Harlequins -- it's really not because I'm a snob! I have tried several in the past and been disappointed by them. But this one got such a lot of good buzz in the blogosphere I had to give it a shot. Plus it's about a librarian! Score.</div><div><br /></div><div>Rachel is a librarian working in a university in Auckland, New Zealand. When Devin Freedman comes in for help she treats him like any other student -- she doesn't know that he's a world-famous musician whose wild lifestyle and alcoholism has ruined his music career. He's now getting a business degree and trying to find a new life for himself. Devin finds Rachel's reaction to him refreshing, and they strike up a little flirtation. Rachel also meets another student named Mark, who she soon realizes is the son she gave up for adoption 17 years previously. She's not ready to tell Mark who she is, but she really wants to get to know him. Luckily Mark has befriended Devin, and Devin keeps asking her out on dates. So she decides to get to know Devin, so that she can get to know Mark through him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, so the plot may be a little ridiculous, but I really enjoyed this book! The New Zealand setting was quite interesting and different. I found the dialogue between Rachel and Devin really funny.</div><div><blockquote>"It figures you'd be an advocate of prohibition," he commented as he opened the passenger door.</blockquote><blockquote>"I've noticed before that you typecast librarians," she said kindly. "But as your experience of learning institutions is obviously quite new I'll make allowances."</blockquote>And when Rachel comes down dressed for their date in a black dress and cardigan:</div><div></div><div></div><blockquote><div>Cardigan? He might not be a hell-raiser anymore but Devin valued his reputation. "Haven't you got anything sexy?"</div><div>"Yes," said Rachel. "My mind."</div></blockquote><div></div><div><br /></div><div>The love story is very nice, as is the way Rachel's relationship with her son develops. I may find it a little hard to believe that a rich, spoiled rock star would act the way Devin does (i.e. so normal), but it was very entertaining.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Does anyone know how to find the copyright date in a Kindle book??! It doesn't display on the copyright page. The librarian in me just died a little bit.</b></div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-89212982562282152042011-02-06T21:20:00.003-05:002011-02-06T21:35:50.065-05:00Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TU9X7N6-z5I/AAAAAAAABZU/Tr2tvrlVYAY/s1600/dragon.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 182px; height: 280px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TU9X7N6-z5I/AAAAAAAABZU/Tr2tvrlVYAY/s400/dragon.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570767938941538194" /></a>Title: <b>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</b><div>Author: <b>Stieg Larsson</b></div><div>Published: <b>2009, Knopf</b></div><div>Category: <b>Mystery</b></div><div>Rating: <b>6/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div>I finally read this because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It turned out to be one of those books that I could appreciate, but not really enjoy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mikael Blomkvist is a Swedish journalist who has been convicted of libel for trying to take down a corrupt businessman. While he's down on his luck, he's convinced by Henrik Vanger (another businessman) to investigate the disappearance (and assumed murder) of Vanger's niece Harriet, which took place 40 years earlier. Mikael travels to the small town where Harriet lived -- the murder mystery becomes a closed-room story, as it soon becomes obvious that Harriet's murderer must have been one of the people in the extended family. Mikael is helped by Lisbeth Salander, a troubled young woman who is incredibly intelligent and an excellent hacker.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I said earlier, I can appreciate this book as a story that intrigues and stays with you long after you finish it. The characters are complex and interesting, and the mystery is well done. But it's simply not my cup of tea. The Swedish title is <i>Men Who Hate Women</i>, and in my opinion is much more appropriate for the book. The main theme of the novel is how women are mistreated (quite horribly and graphically) by men. Each chapter starts with awful statistics that prove how many women are mistreated by men. It quite depressed me.</div><div><br /></div><div>Also, the first hundred pages are sooo slow. And full of confusing Swedish names, places, political and economic history, and currency. So, if you try this book, keep trucking through the beginning -- it does get better.</div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-38710071527868304282011-02-03T15:43:00.004-05:002011-02-03T15:59:49.836-05:00Upstairs, Downstairs Stories<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TUsXDl7kW_I/AAAAAAAABZM/HEwUaWZFQqI/s1600/featured_characters.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 110px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TUsXDl7kW_I/AAAAAAAABZM/HEwUaWZFQqI/s400/featured_characters.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569570714662755314" /></a>I almost didn't hear about <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey/index.html">Downton Abbey</a>, the new 4-part series that aired on Masterpiece! Luckily PBS has put the full<a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch/index.html"> episodes online</a>, so I was able to watch them. LOVE! Unlike most Masterpiece movies, it's not based on a classic novel. But it was written and produced by Julian Fellowes, who also wrote <i>Gosford Park</i> (another favorite). I love this period (just before WWI), and I've always liked upstairs, downstairs stories. Maggie Smith is so very funny, and the ladies' costumes are wonderful. And there's going to be a second season of it! Hooray.<div><br /></div><div>Of course, the movie put me in the mood for <i><a href="http://jenniesbooklog.blogspot.com/2007/08/countess-below-stairs-eva-ibbotson.html">The Countess Below Stairs</a></i> -- one of my absolute favorite books -- so I'm rereading that now. Anyone else have recommendations for upstairs, downstairs books?</div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-50436939506755957422011-01-18T20:57:00.003-05:002011-01-18T21:17:34.944-05:00Marrying the Royal Marine, by Carla Kelly<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TTZFfeuz03I/AAAAAAAABXI/XgXdVbusxGM/s1600/kelly.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 122px; height: 193px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TTZFfeuz03I/AAAAAAAABXI/XgXdVbusxGM/s200/kelly.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5563710796790485874" /></a><b>Title</b>: Marrying the Royal Marine<div><b>Author:</b> Carla Kelly</div><div><b>Published</b>: 2010, Harlequin</div><div><b>Category</b>: Historical Romance</div><div><b>Rating</b>: 8/10</div><div><br /></div><div>This is the third in Carla Kelly's new trilogy, and in my opinion the best one. It's about Polly Brandon, sister to the women in the first two books in the series. Polly is just 18, but she's decided that she wants to help out in some way during the Napoleonic War. She goes to stay with her sister, Laura, who works in a military hospital. On the voyage from England to Oporto, Portugal, she meets Hugh Junot, the Royal Marine of the title. They become great friends on the journey, but there are lots of impediments to any relationship: their age difference, her sisters' disapproval, each character's uncertainty that the other would return their affection, the war.</div><div><br /></div><div>I enjoyed these characters more than I have the heros and heroines of the earlier books in this series. Carla Kelly's characters are always endearingly stalwart, and excruciatingly honorable, and <i>good</i>. And of course this is a good thing, but occasionally it crosses the line into gloomy for me. Polly and Hugh are a little lighter than some of her characters -- Polly is young and naive (but not stupid), and Hugh is refreshingly non-traumatized by the grueling war. He's a very attractive hero (and funny!).</div><div><br /></div><div>The action in this book is also quite good -- I was reading the pages fast and furious. And that's really a bonus for a Carla Kelly book -- I generally read her books because I enjoy reading a romance about characters who actually seem like real people!</div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-23249212610785770442010-11-11T22:16:00.003-05:002010-11-11T22:32:14.359-05:00Advent Calendars!Twin has created the most adorable garland advent calendars!<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TNy09Tme7tI/AAAAAAAABW0/ZKQoG54Uizk/s1600/1st.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TNy09Tme7tI/AAAAAAAABW0/ZKQoG54Uizk/s400/1st.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538500607085571794" border="0" /></a><br /><br />She's actually been making these for a few years, and I always love they way they look hanging over the mantel or across the wall back when we lived in a little apartment with no fireplace. This year she's decided to sell the <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/juliemarie">kit in her etsy shop</a> -- so you can make your very own! The kit is a downloadable PDF with instructions and templates for two different designs.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TNy09iM8gII/AAAAAAAABW8/_NysiOP5Iao/s1600/2nd.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 265px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TNy09iM8gII/AAAAAAAABW8/_NysiOP5Iao/s400/2nd.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5538500611004989570" border="0" /></a><br /><br />You can read more about them on <a href="http://julieree.blogspot.com/2010/11/advent-calendars-on-etsy.html">Twin's blog</a>. My mantel is definitely going to be decorated with the<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/61441347/starry-trees-advent-calendar-printable"> Starry Trees</a> design this year. :)Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-71349317971758911262010-11-06T17:40:00.004-04:002010-11-06T18:20:24.132-04:00Jenna Starborn, Sharon Shinn<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TNXMMyc1FwI/AAAAAAAABWs/hvKpBwMDWLA/s1600/jenna.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TNXMMyc1FwI/AAAAAAAABWs/hvKpBwMDWLA/s200/jenna.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536555836995081986" border="0" /></a>Title: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jenna Starborn</span><br />Author: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Shinn</span><br />Published: <span style="font-weight: bold;">2002, Ace</span><br />Category: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Science Fiction / Romance</span><br />Rating: <span style="font-weight: bold;">7/10</span><br /><br />I was really wanting to read Shinn's new book, <span style="font-style: italic;">Troubled Waters</span>, but it's a hardcover so I didn't want to buy it and it's not available at any of my libraries. Sigh. So I read this one instead -- it's one of the few on Shinn's backlist that I hadn't read yet.<br /><br />This is a science fiction retelling of <span style="font-style: italic;">Jane Eyre</span>, which is a story that deserves retelling because it's so good. The plot follows the original story very closely, though the characters live on distant planets, Jenna is a nuclear reactor technician rather than a governess, and the unwanted wife's troubles are a bit different. I was torn between enjoying the futuristic version of the original story's events (which I know so well) and wishing that the plot was a little less similar. I've read <span style="font-style: italic;">Jane Eyre</span> so many times that I knew exactly what was coming next.<br /><br />Shinn captures the gothic, gloomy feel of <span style="font-style: italic;">Jane Eyre</span> quite well, giving it a new spin by placing most of the action on a dark and inhospitable world. Jenna is as annoyingly good and moral as Jane is, though somehow you still end up liking her. My one real complaint about the book is actually also a problem I have with <span style="font-style: italic;">Jane Eyre</span>: the overdramatic, "If I can't have you, I'll die!" ultra-romantic, overwrought action of the love story. I think this is why many people love <span style="font-style: italic;">Jane Eyre</span>, but it's never sat particularly well with me. But it's a great story, nonetheless. :)Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-27741811334242644332010-10-29T15:31:00.002-04:002010-10-29T15:48:40.338-04:00The Search, Nora Roberts<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TMshQV9uvGI/AAAAAAAABWk/ag0cSlo6FS8/s1600/search.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 128px; height: 192px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TMshQV9uvGI/AAAAAAAABWk/ag0cSlo6FS8/s320/search.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5533553131812469858" /></a>Title: <b>The Search</b><br /><div>Author: <b>Nora Roberts</b></div><div>Published: <b>Putnam, 2010</b></div><div>Rating: <b>7/10</b></div><div><br /></div><div>La Nora's summer release for this year, picked up from the library for a nice weekend read. Her books don't really wow me (I think I've read too many for them to do that anymore), but they're almost always a pleasant read.</div><div><br /></div><div>Fiona Bristow lives a peaceful existence on Orcas Island in Washington. She trains dogs for a living, including search and rescue dogs. One day she gets a new client with a very badly behaved puppy named Jaws. His owner, Simon, turns out to be quite the hottie, and Fiona ends up spending lots of time with both him and Jaws. The suspense plot in the book revolves around a serial killer who is mimicking an earlier killer who had tried to kill Fiona and failed. It soon becomes obvious that the new killer is targeting Fiona, trying to kill her when his predecessor had failed.</div><div><br /></div><div>I found the suspense in this book to be quite tepid, which to be honest is just fine by me. When pages were devoted to the killer's movements and motivations, I was just reading through to get back to the good stuff. The good stuff being the descriptions of Fiona's life as a dog trainer, her relationships with her friend and mother-in-law, and the romance between her and Simon. While Simon is not really my idea of a hero (a bit gruff and overbearing to me), it was nice to read about these two very independent people as they learn how to make a serious relationship work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Roberts's language is a bit on the overdramatic side for me, but she is a great storyteller.</div>Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-73709822416818287152010-10-24T20:46:00.004-04:002010-10-24T21:31:20.909-04:00Jubilee Trail, Gwen Bristow<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TMTVI5tblkI/AAAAAAAABWc/7LhmKJNA_Vs/s1600/Jubilee-trail-738277.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 146px; height: 219px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TMTVI5tblkI/AAAAAAAABWc/7LhmKJNA_Vs/s320/Jubilee-trail-738277.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5531780591224854082" border="0" /></a>Author: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gwen Bristow</span><br />Published: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Thomas Y. Crowell Company, 1950</span><br />Category: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Historical Fiction</span><br />Rating: <span style="font-weight: bold;">5/10</span><br /><br />I was browsing through AAR's <a href="http://www.likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/searchReviews.pl">DIK reviews</a> a couple of weeks ago -- and found an A review for <span style="font-style: italic;">Jubilee Trail</span> by Gwen Bristow. One of my favorite books of all time was written by Gwen Bristow (<span style="font-style: italic;">Celia Garth</span>), and I realized that I'd never tried any of her other books. My library had this one, so I gave it a try.<br /><br />Garnet Cameron turns 18 in the year 1844. She is the daughter of a nice, well-to-do family, who live in a nice house on Union Square in New York City. She has marriage offers from respectable men who, well, bore her. She wants adventure in a time when young ladies of good birth didn't get to have adventures. Then she meets Oliver Hale, a man who makes his living by trading along the Jubilee Trail, which stretches from St. Louis to California. When Oliver proposes, Garnet jumps at the chance to have an exciting life. And off they go on their way to California.<br /><br />Now I think I understand why my mom (who gave me <span style="font-style: italic;">Celia Garth</span>) never gave me this one to read. I read this whole, looong book, but I was close to giving up lots of times. By the end I was skimming because while I really wanted to stop, for some reason I also wanted to know what happened in the end. I think this means that the story and plot was good, but that the characters were poorly done.<br /><br />Garnet is naive, but plucky and brave in a way that is not very believable (and, imo, quite annoying). She, and all the other characters, struck me as sadly one-dimensional. Her adventures seem unrealistic too. And one thing that really disgusted me was several scenes in which the Indians encountered along the way are described as non-human. Now, this book was published in 1950, but that doesn't excuse it.<br /><br />Honestly, this book made me wonder what I would think of <span style="font-style: italic;">Celia Garth</span> had I read it for the first time now, instead of when I was a preteen. I know that my standards have gotten a lot higher.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-66763767560395167122010-10-18T19:42:00.006-04:002010-10-18T21:39:38.865-04:00Bibs for a Baby!We found out a couple of months ago that Collin's sister is having another baby. Which means, yippeee! A baby to sew for!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TLz0iqyLwYI/AAAAAAAABVM/huyxOtgvSLw/s1600/bibs.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TLz0iqyLwYI/AAAAAAAABVM/huyxOtgvSLw/s400/bibs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529563318941630850" border="0" /></a><br />My first projects for the little one were these cute quilted bibs. I found the pattern <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/58908331/the-best-bib-pdf-sewing-pattern">here</a>. They go together really fast. And they're washable, so they can actually be used.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TLz0iaPEC1I/AAAAAAAABVE/FzsHxzwMC90/s1600/bib_detail.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TLz0iaPEC1I/AAAAAAAABVE/FzsHxzwMC90/s400/bib_detail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529563314499357522" border="0" /></a><br />I'm working on a baby quilt now!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-45046473877975041642010-10-14T19:27:00.004-04:002010-10-14T19:44:04.800-04:00Death in the Stocks, Georgette Heyer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TLeSBy5qguI/AAAAAAAABT8/1X91u4Q60dE/s1600/death.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 178px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TLeSBy5qguI/AAAAAAAABT8/1X91u4Q60dE/s320/death.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528047627161731810" border="0" /></a>Author: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Georgette Heyer</span><br />Published: <span style="font-weight: bold;">2009 (reprint), Sourcebooks, originally 1935</span><br />Category: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mystery</span><br />Rating: <span style="font-weight: bold;">5/10</span><br /><br />I have been steadily reading Heyer books (with great delight) since I discovered her a few years ago. She has a huge backlist, which consists of historical romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. The romances, of course, are my favorites -- but I'm running out of new ones to read! So, I picked up this mystery when I saw the pretty re-issued edition by Sourcebooks.<br /><br />Andrew Vereker is found dead, his corpse carefully arranged so he's sitting in the stocks on the green of some little English village. The police soon have more suspects than they can handle: the nephew who is heir to Vereker's fortune, a corrupt employee who was cooking the books, a mysterious stranger who was seen fighting with Vereker before his death. Everyone seems to be lying about where they were the night of the murder, and everyone seems to have hated the deceased.<br /><br />I was sadly disappointed by this book. For one thing, I totally guessed who "done it" really early in the book, which either means I'm really clever or it was obvious. I think it's the latter, because I never know who the murderer is when reading mysteries. I'm nearly always surprised in the end. My second reason for not liking the book: I found all the characters extremely annoying. They struck me as lazy, spoiled, selfish, snobby upper-class Brits and I didn't like them. A couple of people grew on me toward the end, but it was waaaay too long coming.<br /><br />The only saving grace for me was the intelligent, witty dialogue, which is classic Heyer. I'm undecided whether I want to try any more Heyer mysteries. Anyone have any advice? There are a couple of her romances that I haven't read yet -- will definitely have to track them down.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-7211559000078061492010-09-27T19:19:00.004-04:002010-09-27T19:50:15.296-04:00What I Did for Love, Susan Elizabeth Phillips<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TKEnjZwivDI/AAAAAAAABTs/5wtFqYf7UNY/s1600/whatidid.JPG"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TKEnjZwivDI/AAAAAAAABTs/5wtFqYf7UNY/s320/whatidid.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5521738107296332850" border="0" /></a>Author: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Susan Elizabeth Phillips</span><br />Published: <span style="font-weight: bold;">2009, William Morrow</span><br />Category: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Contemporary Romance</span><br />Rating: <span style="font-weight: bold;">7/10</span><br /><br />SEP books are a little bit hit-or-miss for me, but every few months I crave one -- mostly because I think Phillips has such a good sense of humor. Her books always have some great, funny dialogue.<br /><br />Georgie York is a young actress who has been in the public eye since she was a teenager starring in a popular sitcom. At the beginning of the book, her life isn't going so well: her career has stagnated and she's just been dumped by her perfect actor husband (think Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt). Through crazy events I can't quite remember, she wakes up from a drunken Las Vegas night married to her old costar Bram Shephard. Bram is a serious bad-boy movie star (gorgeous but selfish and spoiled). Georgie is appalled to be married to him, but can't face the embarrassment of another high-profile divorce. Bram, on the other hand, is getting some great publicity and career boost out of the marriage. So the two make a pact to stay married for a year.<br /><br />I think every one of is fascinated to some extent by the movie star lifestyle, and this book definitely satisfies that. I'm not one to follow Hollywood gossip, but even so it was still amusing to read about it all. It helps that the main characters are fairly down-to-earth and nice -- Georgie especially is way more normal than most stars probably are. There's a nice big cast of characters, and we actually get two little romantic subplots that are quite nice.<br /><br />So my verdict is -- slightly ridiculous plot, but still a satisfying read.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-5054597956217019602010-09-22T19:31:00.003-04:002010-09-22T20:14:06.941-04:00Maybe This Time, Jennifer Crusie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TJqR-xudgyI/AAAAAAAABTk/U3pxuLmE7hM/s1600/maybe.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 128px; height: 193px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TJqR-xudgyI/AAAAAAAABTk/U3pxuLmE7hM/s320/maybe.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519884800982090530" border="0" /></a>Author: <b>Jennifer Crusie</b><br />Published: <span style="font-weight: bold;">2010, St. Martin's Press</span><br />Category: <span style="font-weight: bold;">Contemporary Romance</span><br />Rating: <span style="font-weight: bold;">7.5/10</span><br /><br />Jennifer Crusie is one of my all-time favorite authors, and we have been waiting a looong time for a solo book from her. She's been co-authoring books, but it's been years since we got an all-Crusie book. I should have been counting down the hours until this was published - but what with all my crazy summer, I'd pretty much forgotten about it. Until the other day I was browsing through my library's new books, and I saw it on the shelf! A loud gasp escaped me as I snatched it off the shelf and held it up like the holy grail. The little undergraduate next to me gave me a funny look. But that's okay. I took it home and had a lovely Saturday, reading all day long stretched out on the couch.<br /><br />Andie Miller is ready to get engaged, but before she can go through with it she feels like she needs some closure with her ex-husband. So she visits him to return years of uncashed alimony checks. He's having a slight crisis -- he's become the guardian of some young cousins and he needs someone to take care of them. He offers to pay Andie a boatload of money to go out to their house in rural Ohio and see what's what. Andie's got a soft heart (plus she could really use that money), so she accepts. What she finds is an ancient, dirty, creepy house, a hostile and weird housekeeper, and two seriously messed up kids. It comes out that the house is haunted -- so not only does Andie need to help these troubled children, she also has to figure out how to exorcise some ghosts. And decide if she's still in love with her ex-husband.<br /><br />This was a good read, though I don't think it'll be a favorite Crusie. It had many of the things that I love about Crusie's books: an extremely likable heroine, funny dialogue, and complex relationships that really seem genuine (Andie's relationship with Alice is especially well done). The love story is classic Crusie and very satisfying.<br /><br />What didn't sit so well with me is the ghostly aspects of the book. It's not something Crusie has done before, and I'm just not sure it works for me. This may be just a personal thing -- I'm really not a fan of ghost stories. But the combination of light romantic comedy and dark, gothic thriller seemed an uncomfortable mix -- it wasn't scary enough to be a serious ghost story, but the ghost story was serious enough to make it certainly out of the realm of light comedy.<br /><br />Still, it's a Crusie book, so I have no reason to complain. I plowed through it in a day and it was a highly enjoyable day. Here's hoping she writes many more. :)Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-9068822424584302742010-09-19T21:10:00.011-04:002010-09-28T19:45:29.124-04:00Wake up, bloggy!I am going to try to revive the blog! I've haven't really been posting with any frequency for years, but I want to start again. I've missed it. Life has finally settled down a little, I've been reading more again, so hopefully I can get a couple of posts up a week. We'll try anyway. :)<br /><br />Some life updates, for those interested:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TJky--b9VhI/AAAAAAAABTU/aqwaGh87y3M/s1600/disney1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TJky--b9VhI/AAAAAAAABTU/aqwaGh87y3M/s400/disney1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519498875812795922" border="0" /></a>I haven't mentioned this guy yet, have I? I met my very own real-life hero over two years ago. He's better than any fictional hero I've ever read about. His name is Collin. He fully supports my reading habits, even though sometimes he likes to read the back cover copy in a dramatic voice and make fun of it. That's okay. I make fun of his fantasy sports, so we're about even.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TJkykeuRsKI/AAAAAAAABTM/Y-LncUDg5mk/s1600/married.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TJkykeuRsKI/AAAAAAAABTM/Y-LncUDg5mk/s400/married.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519498420623093922" border="0" /></a>Twin got married! Wasn't she a beautiful bride? And she's so happy! She had the most lovely wedding I've ever been to -- full of personal touches and happy people. Twin has disgustingly good taste, so the whole day was gorgeous. She's been <a href="http://julieree.blogspot.com/search/label/wedding">posting about it</a> on her blog.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TJkzih_4waI/AAAAAAAABTc/aqnIpE60Ywk/s1600/graduate.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/TJkzih_4waI/AAAAAAAABTc/aqnIpE60Ywk/s400/graduate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519499486654153122" border="0" /></a>I graduated from the library science program at UNC Chapel Hill in May. I'm a librarian! So exciting. Less exciting was the job search that followed -- but I was extremely fortunate and got a fabulous job as the <a href="http://www.library.appstate.edu/blog/news/615">Web Librarian</a> at <a href="http://www.appstate.edu/">Appalachian State University</a>. So Collin and I have moved to Boone, which is a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. And they pay me to play with the web all day! Score.<br /><br />All right, I've just finished the new Jennifer Crusie book -- let's see how long it takes me to get a review up. :)Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-34573036196614444082010-03-12T16:19:00.002-05:002010-03-12T16:25:05.646-05:00Blog HiatusI'm finishing up my masters degree (graduation on May 9!!). Obviously the blog has been on a break for a while, but I definitely plan to resuscitate it this summer. I really want to get back to reviewing books, and I should have lots more time for reading. Right now, I need to concentrate on finishing my Masters Paper and, um, getting a job. :)<br /><br />Some great books I've read lately:<br /><br />Michelle Moran's books about Egypt (love them!)<br /><br />Julia Spencer-Fleming's Reverend Clare Fergusson mystery series (I've just read the first one and can't wait to get to the rest)<br /><br />Sara Donati finished up her <span style="font-style: italic;">Into the Wilderness</span> series with <span style="font-style: italic;">The Endless Forest</span><br /><br />Jennifer Crusie's re-issued <span style="font-style: italic;">The Cinderella Deal</span><br /><br />See you in a couple months!Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-72884425664180913552009-09-17T10:21:00.002-04:002009-09-17T10:23:32.712-04:00Giveaway over on the Mary Stewart blogHi everyone! I'm still alive, just very busy with school. I'm popping in to announce that we're giving away a Mary Stewart book over on the Stewart blog. Never read Stewart??!! Here's your chance. It's an amazing book, so <a href="http://marystewartnovels.blogspot.com/2009/09/happy-birthday-to-mary-stewart.html">head on over and enter to win</a>.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-39932448876748298282009-07-08T17:18:00.003-04:002009-07-08T17:39:55.919-04:00Re-readingMy mom recently forwarded me a <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/opinion/30sat4.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=rereading&st=cse">New York Times editorial</a> titled "Some Thoughts on the Pleasures of Being a Re-Reader." It's a great article and describes exactly how I feel about re-reading. The author talks about how many people brag about never reading the same book twice, desiring to always discover new information. But she says, "At heart, I’m a re-reader. The point of reading outward, widely, has always been to find the books I want to re-read and then to re-read them." I always make fun of my mother because she reads the same books over and over and over again. Your chances are pretty good if you guess that Maurice Walsh's <span style="font-style: italic;">And No Quarter</span> or Susan Howatch's <span style="font-style: italic;">The Wonder Worker</span> are on her bedside table. She has read some new stuff on my suggestion and I'm always very proud of myself if one of those books becomes a re-reading favorite (Jennifer Crusie's books are an example).<br /><br />But I looooove to re-read too. It's so comforting to settle into a book that you know you're going to love, because you've loved it before. I've spend the last couple weeks re-reading Harry Potter numbers 6 and 7. (Number 6 so that I'm ready for the movie to come out, and 7 because I couldn't stop myself.) Then none of my new books really called to me, so I've started re-reading Sara Donati's <span style="font-style: italic;">Into the Wilderness</span> books.<br /><br />Occasionally I think that I shouldn't be wasting my precious summer re-reading old books -- I should be discovering new great books. But then I realize that I only have a limited time available to read for fun, so I'll do whatever gives me the most pleasure. And right now that's re-reading favorites. :)Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-37238296236798156472009-06-05T14:35:00.006-04:002010-03-12T16:18:57.682-05:00Upcoming books/Updates for my favorite authorsI've been web surfing, checking up on all my favorite authors. Here's the latest:<br /><br /><a href="http://kelleyarmstrong.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kelley Armstrong</span></a>: I still haven't gotten to reading her latest in the Otherworld series (<span style="font-style: italic;">Living with the Dead</span>). It's definitely on the list for this summer. She's announced the next book in the series: <a href="http://kelleyarmstrong.com/aFrost.htm">Frostbitten</a>, which will be out in November. Looks like Clay and Elena will be narrating. Woo hoo!<br /><br />I've kind of lost interest in her other two ongoing series (YA Darkest Powers and thriller Nadia Stafford). They're just not quite my cuppa.<br /><br /><a href="http://marybalogh.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Balogh</span></a> has just put out the first four books in the Huxtable series. I've read the first and bought the second. But why is the fourth one in hardcover when all the others were paperback? I do not understand the reasoning there. The <a href="http://marybalogh.com/news.html">last book</a> in the series will be out next year (I think).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiloDZBPSDI/AAAAAAAABRQ/jWyvpx1Yf8E/s1600-h/meljean.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 203px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiloDZBPSDI/AAAAAAAABRQ/jWyvpx1Yf8E/s320/meljean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343916840316782642" border="0" /></a><a href="http://meljeanbrook.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Meljean Brook</span></a>: The next Guardians book is out in October. Yay!<br /><br /><a href="http://dendarii.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lois McMaster Bujold</span></a> is in the midst of writing a new Miles book. (Her <a href="http://blogs.myspace.com/loismcmasterbujold">MySpace blog</a> says she's about halfway through.) This does not actually terribly excite me as I still have many, many older books in the Miles series still to read. It will take a couple years to catch up. But still good news for most fans.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiloWkBcpoI/AAAAAAAABRo/jr_Ry7pnX4U/s1600-h/chase.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 280px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiloWkBcpoI/AAAAAAAABRo/jr_Ry7pnX4U/s320/chase.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343917169687963266" border="0" /></a><a href="http://lorettachase.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Loretta Chase</span></a>'s newest is due out at the end of the month! <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Dont-Tempt-Me/Loretta-Chase/e/9780061632662/?itm=1"><span style="font-style: italic;">Don't Tempt Me</span></a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://jennycrusie.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jennifer Crusie</span></a> has a pretty new website, but unfortunately no good news on upcoming books. She's planning to release a Mayer/Crusie sometime in 2009 and a solo book (!!!!) in 2010.<br /><br /><a href="http://saralaughs.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sara Donati</span></a> has announced the publication date for the next (and final) Wilderness book!!! YAYYYY!!!! This one makes me ecstatic. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Endless Forest</span> (nice title) will be out January 26, 2010. Less than 8 months to wait.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eva Ibbotson</span>: Penguin has just republished <span style="font-style: italic;">The Magic Flutes</span> as <a href="http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Reluctant-Heiress/Eva-Ibbotson/e/9780142412770/?itm=1"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Reluctant Heiress</span></a>. Have already read it and will post a review soon. Preview: it's lovely.<br /><br /><a href="http://eloisajames.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eloisa James</span></a>: Just bought her newest last night. <span style="font-style: italic;">This Duchess of Mine</span> is Jemma and Elijah's story. And she has another book coming out 7/28 -- <span style="font-style: italic;">A Duke of Her Own</span>, which is Villier's story. Two books in one summer -- nice!<br /><br /><a href="http://susannakearsley.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Susanna Kearsley</span></a> is writing "a <a href="http://susannakearsley.com/writingroom.html">story of historical suspense</a> set on the southern coast of Cornwall." Excellent! Will keep stalking her website for more details.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carla Kelly</span>: Bought her newest last night as well -- <span style="font-style: italic;">The Surgeon's Lady</span>. This is the second in a trilogy, I believe. Don't know whether the third has been announced yet. Anyone know?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jkrowling.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">J.K. Rowling</span></a> -- The 6th Harry Potter movie is out in mid-July. The previews look good. I need to start my pre-movie reread of <span style="font-style: italic;">Half-Blood Prince</span> soon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiloMJlLcgI/AAAAAAAABRY/p8UchYCquU0/s1600-h/quatrain.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiloMJlLcgI/AAAAAAAABRY/p8UchYCquU0/s320/quatrain.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343916990791381506" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.sharonshinn.net/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sharon Shinn</span></a>: I still haven't read <span style="font-style: italic;">Fortune and Fate</span>, the newest in her Twelve Houses series. Gotta get to that soon. I'm excited about <span style="font-style: italic;">Quatrain</span> (due out October 6) which is a book of four novellas, each set in a different world that she's created (especially excited about the one set in Samaria and the one set in the <span style="font-style: italic;">Summers at Castle Auburn</span> world).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiloWi-QdBI/AAAAAAAABRg/zg1Fp0rV-2I/s1600-h/michael.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 269px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiloWi-QdBI/AAAAAAAABRg/zg1Fp0rV-2I/s320/michael.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343917169406145554" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.marystewartnovels.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mary Stewart</span></a> -- Chicago Review Press is re-releasing My Brother Michael (one of my favorites!) in November.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-33656058646385437252009-06-05T13:28:00.002-04:002009-06-05T13:33:08.881-04:00Lean Mean Thirteen, Janet Evanovich<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SilV5B6PCEI/AAAAAAAABRI/b6HPvzUQcrw/s1600-h/13.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 280px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SilV5B6PCEI/AAAAAAAABRI/b6HPvzUQcrw/s320/13.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343896871105398850" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Author:</span> <b>Janet Evanovich</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Published:</span> <b>2007, St. Martin's Press</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Category:</span> <b>Fiction</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Rating:</span> <b>5.5/10</b><br /><br />I've had this book sitting in the TBR pile since it came out two years ago. I read the first 8 or so books in this series with absolute enjoyment -- really great reading. The later books just haven't been living up to the earlier ones. I'm not really sure why, though I'm guessing that it's because they're really all the same at this point. The characters aren't developing, the plots and the jokes all feel like slight variations on an earlier theme. And the love triangle, which was cute at first, is now just annoying.<br /><br />But I picked this one up finally when I saw adds for <span style="font-style: italic;">Finger Lickin' Fifteen</span>, which is due out at the end of the month. <span style="font-style: italic;">Lean Mean Thirteen</span> was a fun read, though still pretty disappointing.<br /><br />Stephanie is again broke and struggling in her job as a bounty hunter. She's chasing her usual list of crazy FTAs (failure to appear in court), this time including a grave robber and a taxidermist with anger management issues. She has another fight with her slimy ex-husband, Dickie Orr, and when Dickie goes MIA everyone thinks that she's murdered him. We soon find out that Dickie's law firm was definitely into some shady dealings and 40 million dollars is missing along with Dickie. The partners in his firm (who are really mobster-types) are all looking for Stephanie to find out where their money is.<br /><br />This book had me rolling my eyes almost constantly. I think the problem is that Evanovich feels the need to top the craziness of the previous book. So while originally it was funny that Stephanie's cars all get destroyed, now she goes through 2-3 of them per book. It just all becomes too ridiculous. And if Joe Morelli asked my advice on his love life, I'd tell him to move on because he deserves better.<br /><br />I'm not sure if I'll read #14. Any advice here? I'm definitely not shelling out hardcover price for it. Maybe one day I'll get it from the library. Or maybe I'll go back to <span style="font-style: italic;">One for the Money</span> and start re-reading the next time I'm in the mood.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-21401825274857511542009-06-03T12:22:00.004-04:002009-06-03T12:26:21.748-04:00Secret Society Girl, Diana Peterfreund<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiajbMswnOI/AAAAAAAABRA/ofnl7O4DG2g/s1600-h/secretsociety.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 185px; height: 278px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/SiajbMswnOI/AAAAAAAABRA/ofnl7O4DG2g/s320/secretsociety.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343137695582428386" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Author:</span> <b>Diana Peterfreund</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Published:</span> <b>2007, Bantam</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Category:</span> <b>Young Adult Fiction</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Rating:</span> <b>7/10</b><br /><br />I picked this one up from the library mostly because <a href="http://bookdaze.wordpress.com/">Li</a> loves the series and I was looking for something light (not like what most of what I read isn't "light", but you know what I mean). There are currently four books out in the series.<br /><br />Amy Haskel is a junior at ultra-preppy, ivy league Eli University. It's a big deal at this school to be chosen for one of the many secret societies, and junior year is when it happens. Amy is waiting to be tapped by the literary society, when she instead gets an invitation from Rose & Grave, the oldest and most notorious society on campus. She thinks at first it's a hoax, seeing as how Rose & Grave picks the most elite (and generally richest) students. And they've never before tapped women. We see Amy's crazy initiation, meet the very interesting and zany people also tapped that year, and watch the backlash as the society's alumni question the group's decision to admit women.<br /><br />I did enjoy this book. It's sort of fun to live vicariously through Amy as she attends this swanky, elite university and hobnobs with the rich and beautiful people. It's saved from being Gossip-Girl-vapid by the fact that Amy is very down-to-earth and sensible, and surprisingly resistant to the snobbery. I've requested the second book from the library. :)Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22655888.post-61789932966568766642009-06-03T12:11:00.003-04:002009-06-03T12:21:23.153-04:00Powder and Patch, Georgette Heyer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/Siaic_ZqlKI/AAAAAAAABQ4/Pay_kDgs7IY/s1600-h/powder.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 280px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_TGGHH7qXNV0/Siaic_ZqlKI/AAAAAAAABQ4/Pay_kDgs7IY/s320/powder.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343136626860790946" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Author:</span> <b>Georgette Heyer</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Published:</span> <b>1923, Mills & Boon originally, most recent edition is Harlequin, 2004</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Category:</span> <b>Historical Fiction</b><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Rating:</span> <b>7.5/10</b><br /><br />I am still making my way through Georgette Heyer's huge list of historical romances. Someday I will run out of new Heyers to read and it will be a sad, sad day. But then I will re-read them all and be happy again.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Powder and Patch</span> follows Philip Jettan, the son of a country squire. Philip loves his country life, and at 19 has no wish to taste the delights of town. He's also in love with the belle of the neighborhood, the beautiful Cleone. Cleone returns his affections, but is appalled by his lack of town polish. He's a bit of a country bumpkin, see, and in that age such coarseness is unforgivable in an English gentleman. So Philip, whose marriage proposal has been rejected, takes off for Paris and London to begin a transformation into the powdered, foppish man he thinks Cleone wants.<br /><br />This book seemed shorter and simpler than many of Heyer's -- fewer characters and a less complicated plot. According to this <a href="http://www.abfar.co.uk/bibliogs/gh_bib.htm">bibliography</a>, <span style="font-style: italic;">Powder and Patch</span> was only Heyer's third novel and was originally titled <span style="font-style: italic;">The Transformation of Philip Jettan</span> (which I think is a better title). Still a very charming read, though. Philip is a lovable character and it's fun to see how he transforms himself from a gauche boy into the toast of London.Jenniehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05804281162557876557noreply@blogger.com6