tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43581126679182459822024-03-05T03:03:17.632-05:00GReeps Through the ShelvesA book blog run by 10 different bloggers, who take turns to write posts.Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-1861563542094544122013-04-22T01:00:00.000-04:002013-04-23T09:18:59.945-04:00The Host<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXpCSxr3yqVIFQxIoEll8Wzs7Rp8VlFr19ZGxII3jBiYrZRuzWwZbvpmlGk4sgCOMRSYykBLR8EgFJElc11XZ2N_Q4ZJo3LMn2GnylsMbgV9ppAHPn5SKZNMgqECFlfR23QPjs9cVSS8p/s1600/the+host.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVXpCSxr3yqVIFQxIoEll8Wzs7Rp8VlFr19ZGxII3jBiYrZRuzWwZbvpmlGk4sgCOMRSYykBLR8EgFJElc11XZ2N_Q4ZJo3LMn2GnylsMbgV9ppAHPn5SKZNMgqECFlfR23QPjs9cVSS8p/s1600/the+host.jpg" dua="true" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
I scheduled this to post yesterday, and have no idea what I did wrong. I was driving from Dallas yesterday, so I knew I wouldn't have time to post. Sorry about the delay...<br />
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A couple weekends ago I went to see The Host with my bookie bestie, Jessa, while she was in town from Dallas. We both had read the book years ago and neither of us bothered to refresh our memories before going to see the movie. <br />
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In some ways I think not having the book fresh in your mind is a wonderful way to enjoy an adaptation like this. It can be a rediscovery of sorts, and even better, changes made to the book hurt less when you can't really remember if what you just saw was a change or not.<br />
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Going in, each of us remembered different aspects of the book and neither of us really remembered more than the general outlines of the story. There was frequent whispering throughout as different scenes jogged different memories for each of us. It was fun to share the experience that way, although if the theater had been a bit less sparse, we'd probably have been shushed a lot.<br />
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It's interesting because Jessa tends more towards Romance type novels than I do (although i love me a good romance) and I tend more towards U/F and SciFi than she does (although she loves her some good fantasy). Before the movie when we were sharing our recollections of the book, based on what we had seen in the trailer, she thought it looked like they had played up the romance more than she remembered and i thought it was pretty much on track.<br />
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Her recollection was that the book centered more on Melanie's internal fight to throw off the "Soul" and the external "war" to liberate the human race. My recollection was that it was essentially a story about Melanie's strong desire to reconnect with her lost love. I've heard a lot of people say that they felt the romance angle was played up, but to me it didn't feel that way.<br />
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On the whole, I liked the book, but it wasn't the second coming or anything. It was a solid three stars for me, fairly mediocre SciFi, but it was written far better than the Twilight Series was (which although not really comparable to the Host, I did actually enjoy more despite the problematic writing). I'm pretty sure Jessa gave the book three stars as well. Good, but nothing to write home about.<br />
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As far as the movie itself goes. I really enjoyed it. Some of the acting was below par, but that's true of all of the Twilight movies as well. I'm not going to say I liked the movie better than the book, but I do think the movie got a boost from my foggy memory of the written work and low expectations. Jessa didn't like it as much as I did, but she didn't hate the movie. All in all, I think it was a fairly successful and faithful adaptation.<br />
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So, have you seen it? What did you think?<br />
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Trailer available at:<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3272714009/">http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3272714009/</a><br />
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<a href="http://s1303.beta.photobucket.com/user/GRTtS/library/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag160/GRTtS/Ashley.png" height="82" width="200" /></a><br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837252497133741117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-44096265635975670962013-04-18T00:00:00.000-04:002013-04-18T00:00:15.048-04:00So lately I've been looking into volunteering again because I could use experience in certain places and more importantly I miss doing it. Helping out others or donating to charities is an amazing thing to do. This thought came up because from April 20-27 is the huge book sale here in Winnipeg and all proceeds go to the Children's Hospital. I've been going to this sale my entire life! I just donated two bags of books and throughout the week I will likely buy just as many to replace them. I have a serious book addiction as I own more books than I will probably ever read! One of these days I will hopefully get onto a reading spree again and get that tbr pile down at least a little bit. But anyways, back to the concept of charities, do any of you have these sales for books for charity or is it only a Winnipeg thing? Also what do you do to help your fellow people out or what would you do if you could?Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416607384618164630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-36121731216467466612013-04-15T10:26:00.002-04:002013-04-15T10:26:20.467-04:00Monday Madness<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Yet another rambling of an ADD author.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: white;">Incase you don't know what ADD is, it means I can not concentrate on something for more than.... oh look something <i>shiny.</i></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You know that dog on the Disney movie Up, where every couple minutes he would yell "<b>SQUIRREL</b>"? </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well that is pretty much me, except with things that flash (The TV) anything shiny (my ring catching the sunlight), noises, things moving, and just anything that happens to catch my eye when I am trying to do something else. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: white;">Cleaning is ridiculously hard. </span></span></div>
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<u style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: white;">I will put something away in one of my kids rooms, then realize something else needs to be picked up, then somehow I will be dusting the bathroom. Then the phone rings so I pace as I talk on it, finding other things to do then the mailman rings the bell and I go to get the package. Then on my way back to my kids room I realize my dishes need to be put in the dishwasher and I have to change laundry loads, so on my way to the basement I sit down and have tea with my two year old and before I know it my hubs is walking through the door wondering what I did all day and why water is boiling on the stove... water I didn't even realize I started for noodles for my kids.</span></u></div>
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<span style="color: white; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b style="background-color: #999999;">Writing is one of the few things that is pretty easy for me to concentrate on. Until something shiny passes by or my kids run into the room...</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-size: x-small;">Did you know that clown fish are all male until you separate them into pairs... then one will decide to be a female and one will be a male. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have a clownfish, we had two actually, but one got sick and had to go back to the pet store to see the "Fish Doctor" my kids have been naming all our fish after Disney characters. So our clown fish are Jessie and Buzz Lightyear (Buzz is the one who keeps getting sick, so he is away at the "Fish hospital" right now)</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We have some weird blue fish named Lightning McQueen. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: white;">I am waiting for Walle, Doug and Kevin. We have four snails and two hermit crabs that need names.</span></span></div>
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<b style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: white;">I HAVE CRAPS! YAY!!!</span></b></div>
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<u><i style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: white;">The hermit kind that live in the fish tank... not the umm.. other kind.</span></i></u></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #444444; color: #6aa84f; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Mother nature is a bitch... yes I said it. So what? Someone has to be honest with her. I woke up yesterday and there was snow on the ground. ON APRIL 14th!!! Mother Nature is either going through mentalpause or she is having one wicked case of PMS. </span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I want it to be Spring! So that way Summer can come and I can go outside!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I am almost done reading Iron Queen, although because I know the titles to all the books I am pretty sure I know what happens and that bums me out. I hate titles that give the book away by the halfway point.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">I will always name my books something elusive. Maybe I will name my next book</span> <b><i><span style="color: red;">Bob</span></i></b>. <span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Because I can and you can't stop me. And it will be about Fairies in the imaginary world of </span><b><span style="color: red;"><i>Bob</i></span></b>. <span style="color: #f3f3f3;">But you wont know what happens because </span><b><i><span style="color: red;">Bob</span></i></b> <span style="color: #f3f3f3;">means nothing to anyone except that it is a place, that you don't even know about, because it is imaginary and in my head and you cant see it , because technology isn't like the Matrix or any other Sci Fi movie like that.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Who likes Sci Fi? Anyone excited for the new Star Wars movie? </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Did you see the <span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Catching Fire</i></span> Trailer last night on the MTV awards. I hate that it is just a teaser though, I want the movie NOW! </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The TMI movie looks good too.</span> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">I have a fine at the library that I have to pay, so I can borrow more movies and audio books. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I should go finish washing the crayon off the walls so we can paint.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Did you know that you can not paint over crayon? The wax in it will just bleed through to the new layer of paint. </span></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Watching the Little Fockers movie right now. I love these movies. </span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">We are painting the blue room a move neutral blue color... it is currently electric blue and white and sky blue striped on one wall and then sponge painted in the three colors on the rest of the walls.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: lime;">I like bright colors but my green room glows at night, so we need to change it. </span></div>
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<u style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">Alright, I have rambled long enough</span>.</u></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #999999; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Back</span> <span style="color: #e69138;">into</span> <span style="color: yellow;">the</span> <span style="color: #38761d;">realm</span> <span style="color: #0b5394;">of</span> <span style="color: #351c75;">chaos</span><span style="color: magenta;">.</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">I have to sew today too.. three baby blankets.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Okay really going, thanks for reading along.</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #999999; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you have read this far, you should comment with the following things....</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">1. What book are you reading? (Because this is a book blog afterall)</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">2. What the weather is like by your house.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">3. One goal you have for the week.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999;"><span style="color: #f3f3f3;">4. A random tidbit about yourself.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: #f3f3f3; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">Until next time!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #999999; color: #f1c232; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">~M~</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07386180797587599374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-80414982894745873742013-04-08T15:00:00.000-04:002013-04-18T09:13:22.263-04:00It's Monday! What are You Reading<a href="http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #888888; margin: 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="3" class="aligncenter wp-image-26656" src="http://bookjourney.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/3.jpg?w=240&h=232" height="232" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;" width="240" /></a><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font: 14px/21px calluna-1, calluna-2, 'Myriad Pro', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 1em 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Welcome to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!</strong><br />
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></strong></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font: 14px/21px calluna-1, calluna-2, 'Myriad Pro', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 1em 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As part of this weekly meme, Shiela at Book Journey encourages others to visit participating memes, by offering a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling her how many you visited. **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments. Just make sure to post on her blog and tell her how many in the comment area.</strong></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font: 14px/21px calluna-1, calluna-2, 'Myriad Pro', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 1em 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She offers a $5 Amazon gift card to the weeks winner.</strong></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lRg3yfPA8jwtYJ5VGG8P3K0iq83QSSzhLxLbKhgEHk7R_ZUBMbTwc9XmHSnmTAwvhXphzOM3ztwwLeFOKBD29Zj4FvyBW0BkpKuvB08PAkH1KfdamyVFxvPB-2GYI3RkITx95gl9NSr1/s1600/Kushiel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7lRg3yfPA8jwtYJ5VGG8P3K0iq83QSSzhLxLbKhgEHk7R_ZUBMbTwc9XmHSnmTAwvhXphzOM3ztwwLeFOKBD29Zj4FvyBW0BkpKuvB08PAkH1KfdamyVFxvPB-2GYI3RkITx95gl9NSr1/s1600/Kushiel.jpg" height="200" mta="true" width="123" /></a>This week I'm reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/153008.Kushiel_s_Dart">Kushiel's Dart (Phèdre's Trilogy #1)</a> by Jacqueline Carey. I'm not very far into it yet, but it seems pretty interesting so far. It's nice to step away from PnR/UF from time to time. And this book feels very grown up which I don't always feel when reading PnR/UF or more traditional Fantasy, even when the book I'm reading is not Young Adult. Just prior to starting it, I finished Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder. It's a perfect example of what i'm talking about. Overall it was a very enjoyable book, but despite violence, death, and sexual inuendo, the book just didn't seem very grown up.</div>
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I'm listening to KD as an audible title and i'm not really sure how I feel about the narrator yet. Anne Flosnik has a British accent which isn't a horrible thing but I'm not sure it's right for the setting. More, she sounds a little too old and gentile for the PoV that is the focus, but as I said, I'm still early in the book.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEMirlQYFQ5cXYZY5b7iqUsMiiVgoFhs5DYmU-2z-cV5ukgfLVZDYqHgjBcjMPuVC9KANrtojNt3l8iEAW9u2S8SP4ZiFbJUgLUmA6O-o8PyEgEHCnCaUjaq_-GOgJZ7HrKrvwk1AtGCf/s1600/Destroy+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEMirlQYFQ5cXYZY5b7iqUsMiiVgoFhs5DYmU-2z-cV5ukgfLVZDYqHgjBcjMPuVC9KANrtojNt3l8iEAW9u2S8SP4ZiFbJUgLUmA6O-o8PyEgEHCnCaUjaq_-GOgJZ7HrKrvwk1AtGCf/s1600/Destroy+Me.jpg" height="200" ssa="true" width="133" /></a>I'm not making much progress, but i'm still working my way thru <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13623150-destroy-me">Destroy Me (Shatter Me 1.5)</a> by Tahereh Mafi. Sadly, I'm not sure I've read ANY of it since my last blog post. I really need to get on it. I have <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13104080-unravel-me">Unravel Me (Shatter Me 2)</a> waiting in the wings and I am very much looking forward to starting it, but prioritzing ACTUAL reading is really very difficult. The book is a novella tho, so I could probably read what's left of it in an evening if I would just set aside a night to do it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02JyVwlSpW5Cxr7NCOchuCk-Y4fs4xMZiToznl8TRI7HG5vg9juj6UDUK2fGgPgEw9wlfchTedO9s0CKB4w2jCDZmaw3vY6393DgXf9G9nz9HRhcJTCMx1MUvCY5q51Sg_3c2YYQ1-o7d/s1600/Outlander.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02JyVwlSpW5Cxr7NCOchuCk-Y4fs4xMZiToznl8TRI7HG5vg9juj6UDUK2fGgPgEw9wlfchTedO9s0CKB4w2jCDZmaw3vY6393DgXf9G9nz9HRhcJTCMx1MUvCY5q51Sg_3c2YYQ1-o7d/s1600/Outlander.jpg" height="200" ssa="true" width="136" /></a>Finally, Jessa and I are still skype reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10964.Outlander">Outlander (Outlander 1)</a> by Diana Gabaldon. Unlike Destroy Me, we are making pretty good progress with it. It's a huge book tho so it's just going to take time. We skype pretty regularly, but of course things often come up in either her schedule or mine, and distractions are rampant when we do get to skype. So far it's been a really good book made even more enjoyable by sharing it with my bestie in this manner. We're getting close to half way done and I'm pretty sure we're going to read another one after. This is just too much fun ;)</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Today I wanted to talk a little about serials. Not serial killers but book serials. It seems like serials are slowly becoming the next big thing. Authors will release short bursts of a story every week or so. The serials I’ve been seeing everywhere lately are the Debt Collector serials. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Summary of Delirium (Debt Collector 1)</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><em>What’s your life worth on the open market?<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><em>A debt collector can tell you precisely.<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><em>Lirium plays the part of the grim reaper well, with his dark trenchcoat, jackboots, and the black marks on his soul that every debt collector carries. He’s just in it for his cut, the ten percent of the life energy he collects before he transfers it on to the high potentials, the peoplw who will make the world a better place with their brains, their work, and their lives. That hit of energy, a bottle of vodka, and a visit from one Madam Anastazja’s sex workers keep him alive, stable, and mostly sane… until he collects again. But when his recover ritual is disrupted by a sex worker who isn’t what she seems, he has to choose between doing an illegal it for a girl whose story has more holes than his soul or facing the bottle along – a dark pit he’s not sure he’ll be able to climb out of again.<o:p></o:p></em></span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><em>Contains mature content and themes. <o:p></o:p></em></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><em><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">Delirium is approximately 12,000 words or 48 pages</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;">, and is one of nine episodes in the first season of The Debt Collector serial. This dark and gritty future-noir is about a world where your life-worth is tabulated on the open market and going into debt risks a lot more than your credit rating.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Susan Kaye Quinn's </span><a href="http://www.susankayequinn.com/"><span style="color: purple;">website</span></a><br />
<span style="color: purple;">Debt Collector series on </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/100549-debt-collector"><span style="color: purple;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="color: purple;">, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Debt-Collector-Episodes-1-3-ebook/dp/B00C4Y3Y6W/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1364862453&sr=1-3&keywords=debt+collector"><span style="color: purple;">Amazon</span></a><span style="color: purple;">, and </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/debt-collector-susan-kaye-quinn/1114975603?ean=2940016484457&isbn=2940016484457"><span style="color: purple;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><br />
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Even the book description explains that these serials are divided up into seasons. The first season will have 9 episodes. So that's essentially 9 novellas in just the first season alone. I have a very hard time convincing myself to start reading these. It's not like reading a book then moving on until the next book comes out, you're pretty much in limbo constantly. Imagine reading a normal length book but only reading one chapter every two weeks. I'm sure a lot people have no problems doing this, or even prefer it, but it's not for me.<br />
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Rhiannon Frater is also doing something similar with her In Darkness We Must Abide episodes. As some of you may know I'm a huge fan of Rhiannon Frater BUT (there's always a but) I haven't been able to talk myself into reading the first two serials she has released. Luckily she also plans to release the serials in an omnibus later this year.</div>
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<strong>Summary of Death Comes Home (In Darkness We Must Abide #1)</strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="color: purple;">In Darkness We Must Abide is the epic saga of one young woman caught in the dangerous world of the creatures of the night.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="color: purple;">Already living in the shadows due to her albinism, Vanora is just a little girl when her older brother inadvertently unleashes a terrible evil from the family crypt that changes their lives forever.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="color: purple;">As she grows up in a world where beautiful deadly beings hunt by night, one captures her eye and her heart. Yet, can she trust this mysterious Armando? For there is a powerful entity plotting to claim her shen she reaches adulthood in order to fulfill an ancient prophecy, and her enemy has enveloped her in a web of deceit, casting doubt on all she believes to be true. Soon, she will have to fight not only to save those she loves, but also for her very soul.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="color: purple;">Rhiannon Frater delivers a chilling adventure once again with this multi-part epic serial with a dynamic cast, old school vampires, bloody action, a smoldering forbidden love, and a terrifying villain set against the backdrop of a modern day vampire war.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif'; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="color: purple;">Each episode will be between 10,000 and 20,000 words with new installments being published every 2 to 3 weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;">Rhiannon Frater's </span><a href="http://www.rhiannonfrater.com/"><span style="color: purple;">website</span></a><br />
<span style="color: purple;">In Darkness We Must Abide on </span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/99202-in-darkness-we-must-abide"><span style="color: purple;">Goodreads</span></a><span style="color: purple;">, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/176-9519155-6856213?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=in%20darkness%20we%20must%20abide"><span style="color: purple;">Amazon</span></a><span style="color: purple;">, and </span><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/in-darkness-we-must-abide?store=allproducts&keyword=in+darkness+we+must+abide"><span style="color: purple;">Barnes & Noble</span></a><br />
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What you think about serials? Do you love them? Are you hesitant to jump right in like I am?<br />
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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Greep Jen</div>
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LRAtRandomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10844413920128034932noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-52358227441173958732013-04-01T06:00:00.000-04:002013-04-01T06:00:02.104-04:00Monday Madness<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">Ramblings of a not really starving, but not really making any money either, author. </span></b></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The second installment of Monday Madness.</span></o:p></div>
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What if I am not as good of a writer as I want to be? <o:p></o:p></div>
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I know my grammar skills are rusty, Honors English has
failed me. I have forgotten everything I learned back in high school. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But seriously, what if my writing is only good enough to be
okay. Never going to be good enough to get a contract, have a company fall in
love with it, get an agent, get published, get anything other than sent to a
few of my closest online friends?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess this all comes from watching my favorite up and
coming authors making it big, while I am still just sitting here, on my couch,
watching my minimal sales of my self-published e-book get to fewer and fewer
and finally stop completely. </span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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What if everyone was right? That I would never make it as an
author? That I would fail miserably and have to go get a real job… you know
sitting at a blank gray desk in a cubicle, failing at yet another office job
that I don’t care about and have no passion for?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I love the characters in my head to much to let them go. But
am I ever going to get to that point where I will be awesome? Or will I always
just be mediocre? I have gone through my
first book so many times that I could probably recite the entire thing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I know this is a down in the dumps blog post, but that is
just how I feel. Down.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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I want to prove all those people wrong, the people who said
I was just going to fail at this just like everything else I think is a great
idea to try and do. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I just want to give up, but I owe my characters more than
that. I need to keep at it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<u>Rejection letters suck.</u> They really do eat away at you.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Tomorrow I will pick it all back up and start to edit and
rework my books, but today, I am going to be upset. </span><o:p></o:p><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">So what's under your hat today?</span><br />
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHvyw43BT8Sf7HgEFIGrHzaGocj_6PIbIpcoY8wHYILDVy2Aal" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRHvyw43BT8Sf7HgEFIGrHzaGocj_6PIbIpcoY8wHYILDVy2Aal" /></a></div>
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~M~<o:p></o:p></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07386180797587599374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-60884698980098634392013-03-28T00:00:00.000-04:002013-03-28T00:00:09.701-04:00Sequels that drive you crazy and not in a good wayFirst off I just want to apologize for not getting a post out for so long. As Ashley said Mondays had become pretty much impossible for me as I never seemed to be anywhere near my keyboard! Life's been pretty busy for me again of late with a possible job opportunity and a new relationship. Therefore I have had much less reading time than I would like.<br />
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However what I am currently reading is a sequel, and it is driving me crazy. So this post is a rant to those sequels that annoy the daylights out of you. I'm sure you know the type, the first book is fantastic or at least really enjoyable and then the second one... it feels like a different series altogether! The characters you have come to love are now just irritating.<br />
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305572809l/11382346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="That Boy (That Boy, #1)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1305572809l/11382346.jpg" width="127" /></a><a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325634831l/13361570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="That Wedding (That Boy, #2)" border="0" height="200" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325634831l/13361570.jpg" width="142" /></a><br />
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The book that has me feeling this way right now is That Wedding by Jillian Dodd. The first book, That Boy, I really enjoyed. I liked the main character JJ, she was a girl who went after what she wanted, played sports with the boys and enjoyed life to the fullest. Then we get her in the sequel and she is nothing but a whiny brat who has to get her way in everything and cannot deal with any type of conflict. She must be right about everything and win every fight or the person she is arguing with is stupid. I realize the author had to do something to make the book interesting, but this was not it! I am finding it difficult to read more than a chapter or two at a time and the chapters are really short.</div>
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I know there have been more of these than just this but I can't seem to think of them right now. So what about you, what is a sequel you wish had been done differently or maybe never even written at all?Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416607384618164630noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-44521893773828569632013-03-25T23:53:00.003-04:002013-03-25T23:57:34.796-04:00It's Monday! What Are You Reading?<a href="http://bookjourney.wordpress.com/" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #888888; margin: 0px; outline-color: invert; outline-style: none; outline-width: medium; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><img alt="3" class="aligncenter wp-image-26656" src="http://bookjourney.files.wordpress.com/2012/12/3.jpg?w=240&h=232" height="232" style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; display: block; margin: 0px auto; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;" width="240" /></a><br />
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font: 14px/21px calluna-1, calluna-2, 'Myriad Pro', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 1em 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Welcome to It’s Monday! What Are You Reading! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!</strong><br />
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></strong></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font: 14px/21px calluna-1, calluna-2, 'Myriad Pro', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 1em 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">As part of this weekly meme, Shiela at Book Journey encourages others to visit participating memes, by offering a weekly contest for those who visit 10 or more of the Monday Meme participants and leave a comment telling her how many you visited. **You do not have to have a blog to participate! You receive one entry for every 10 comments. Just make sure to post on her blog and tell her how many in the comment area.</strong></div>
<div style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; color: #4e4e4e; font: 14px/21px calluna-1, calluna-2, 'Myriad Pro', 'Trebuchet MS', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 1em 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<strong style="background-color: transparent; border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">She offers a $5 Amazon gift card to the weeks winner.</strong></div>
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Hi all! Ashley, here. In the past this has been Britt's slot, but life tends to happen a little bit harder to her on Mondays than it does the rest of the week... go figure... I'm pretty sure most of us can relate to that. So, I'm trading spots with her! She'll now be posting on Thursdays. Make sure to check her out in her new time slot later in the week... in the mean time, I'm starting my inaugural Monday with a meme... yeah, yeah... I wanted to do something extra special too, but I've been on vacation for the past 11 days and didn't get in until after midnight last night.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oIhLWh3LZ6uvNH6lCT-GwcY0YqHjza-fYCt-L_F1ZP_-W54bI3MGu6JonGJE8nwY9Gc-sAYLC4TU0pNPbR5lAhAQz1YfUJbGEASz2mkTTe1RJryrVhMZuwF_edsgxXSEgpG1h3a16e5J/s1600/frost+burned.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9oIhLWh3LZ6uvNH6lCT-GwcY0YqHjza-fYCt-L_F1ZP_-W54bI3MGu6JonGJE8nwY9Gc-sAYLC4TU0pNPbR5lAhAQz1YfUJbGEASz2mkTTe1RJryrVhMZuwF_edsgxXSEgpG1h3a16e5J/s1600/frost+burned.jpg" height="200" ssa="true" width="132" /></a>Just this morning, I started <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13413589-frost-burned">Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson, Book 7)</a> by Patricia Briggs on my drive in. No worries, as bad a driver as I am, I'm not making it worse by ACTUALLY reading during the drive. Instead, I'm listening to the audio version of the book via audible. The narrator is Lorelei King. I'm not certain whether she has narrated the other Mercy books as I have actually read all of those, but so far I'm enjoying her narration of this installment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEMirlQYFQ5cXYZY5b7iqUsMiiVgoFhs5DYmU-2z-cV5ukgfLVZDYqHgjBcjMPuVC9KANrtojNt3l8iEAW9u2S8SP4ZiFbJUgLUmA6O-o8PyEgEHCnCaUjaq_-GOgJZ7HrKrvwk1AtGCf/s1600/Destroy+Me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIEMirlQYFQ5cXYZY5b7iqUsMiiVgoFhs5DYmU-2z-cV5ukgfLVZDYqHgjBcjMPuVC9KANrtojNt3l8iEAW9u2S8SP4ZiFbJUgLUmA6O-o8PyEgEHCnCaUjaq_-GOgJZ7HrKrvwk1AtGCf/s1600/Destroy+Me.jpg" height="200" ssa="true" width="133" /></a><br />
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In addition to Frost Burned, I'm also picking at <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13623150-destroy-me">Destroy Me (Shatter Me 1.5)</a> by Tahereh Mafi. It's a novella and I don't have a very good excuse for not having finished it yet. The major reason is that I don't have much time for independent reading of actual text right now. My social calendar has been wild of late, but that may have to change due to financial considerations in the near future, so maybe I'll get some additional reading done.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02JyVwlSpW5Cxr7NCOchuCk-Y4fs4xMZiToznl8TRI7HG5vg9juj6UDUK2fGgPgEw9wlfchTedO9s0CKB4w2jCDZmaw3vY6393DgXf9G9nz9HRhcJTCMx1MUvCY5q51Sg_3c2YYQ1-o7d/s1600/Outlander.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh02JyVwlSpW5Cxr7NCOchuCk-Y4fs4xMZiToznl8TRI7HG5vg9juj6UDUK2fGgPgEw9wlfchTedO9s0CKB4w2jCDZmaw3vY6393DgXf9G9nz9HRhcJTCMx1MUvCY5q51Sg_3c2YYQ1-o7d/s1600/Outlander.jpg" height="200" ssa="true" width="136" /></a><br />
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Finally, I'm also reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10964.Outlander">Outlander (Outlander 1)</a> by Diana Gabaldon with my bestie Jessa via skype sessions. This is a new experience, but one I'm really enjoying. Most of us have buddy read books before and I'm sure ALL of you fellow parents out there, especially those of you that bother to frequent blogs about books, read to your kids. This is like that only combined. Jessa and I are buddy reading the book to each other and O... M... G.... it is such a fun thing to do. We don't always get very far in the book, but oh the conversations that the readings spawn!</div>
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She loves it when I try to read in a Scottish accent and I love her running commentary on the events of the book (for her, this is a re-read of her favorite book and let me tell you, girl, you should see the light in her eyes when she reads about Jamie!). If you ever get a chance to read a book like this with one of us, I highly suggest you take it because we are soooooo funny. Seriously, grab a friend and try some skype reading of your own... it's a great experience!<br />
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<a href="http://s1303.beta.photobucket.com/user/GRTtS/library/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag160/GRTtS/Ashley.png" height="82" width="200" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837252497133741117noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-84100538366768483982013-03-18T21:45:00.001-04:002013-03-18T21:45:24.556-04:00Monday Madness<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b style="background-color: #9fc5e8;">I am starting to think my sanity is leaving me.</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">My microwave has a help button... not quite sure what it could actually help with. I am tempted to push it to see if it will clean my house. Perhaps that is where the cleaning elves have been hiding. Even the sock elves have taken a vacation, I have found all my sock pairs in the last two weeks. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: #9fc5e8;">Perhaps its the garden gnomes we put in our house plants, they must be the trick to getting the elves to behave, I will wait one more day to see if the cleaning elves fall in line. </i></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">I have been babysitting for my neighbors while one of them is in Jamaica with her friend and the husband is at work. So I have four kids under the age of 6 for three days this week, and three of them for the other day left this week. </span> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8; font-size: x-small;">Last week I had them painting a huge piece of white paper, surprisingly all but a few fingerprints of paint made it onto the paper. We also made chocolate raspberry cupcakes and managed to completely destroy my house. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;">This week, I am spending the week cleaning and reorganizing. I am hosting a baby shower at my house on Sunday, so I also have to make food, and did I mention the four under 6 children I am watching? Yeah this will be fun. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am hoping those cleaning elves come visit every night after my kids go to bed, I wouldnt even mind if they made the beds with the kids in them. It would save time really. </span> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;">Next week, I am started to scrape all the texture off the walls in my family room so we can repaint it. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8; color: purple; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And I want a puppy. And a purple unicorn. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;">My daughter can spell her name, she is two. I am impressed. My son can add double digit equations. He is five. Again, I am impressed. </span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I have to paint my house this spring. I have never painted the outside of a house, it should be fun, right?</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="background-color: #9fc5e8; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Every night before bed I talk to a fictitious character from the series I am writing, he tells me what to write the next day. He does not like to be ignored either, when I ignore him, he invades my dreams and makes me dream weird things like mac and cheese houses and alien invasions... I also had a zombie apocalypse dream the other night.</span></i></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8;">So, after all this rambling,<b><i> I am still pretty sure I am going crazy</i></b>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8; color: purple;">Hope your Monday isn't so mad.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #9fc5e8; color: purple;">Maybe I should start wearing hats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="background-color: #9fc5e8;">~M~</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07386180797587599374noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-41880947968094307362013-03-15T09:59:00.001-04:002013-03-15T10:04:14.619-04:00Feature & Follow Friday<br />
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<a href="http://www.alisoncanread.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Alison Can Read Feature & Follow" border="0" height="320" nbsp="" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8366/8474595901_873f4993f4_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Q: Activity! Hopefully warm weather for most of us is here soon…so tell us about your favorite outdoor reading spot. Or take a picture.</h4>
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Good question! Since I just moved last year, I haven't quite discovered my favorite outdoor reading spot at my new house! But I planned to do that just this weekend since it's going to be 75 where I live :D </div>
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However, at my parents house I always loved to sit under our big willow tree in the front yard with a blanket. I also had a tree house in it, but eventually it was too old for me to climb into and read.</div>
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What about yours?!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-65367622451416879132013-03-13T12:49:00.000-04:002013-03-13T12:51:38.440-04:00Happy St. Patrick's Day<div style="text-align: center;">
In honor of the one day of the year -- this Sunday -- when everyone is Irish, I present you with a collection of many things Irish:</div>
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<b>The song "Irish Rover," performed here by the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem</b><br />
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<b>A cross-world fantasy trilogy, <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/49379-the-fionavar-tapestry" target="_blank">The Fionavar Tapestry</a> </i>by Guy Gavriel Kay -- it's awesome and you should read it</b></div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104086.The_Summer_Tree" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_6sZikNrWYqq9wVhDbFswLL9Z6R7sqkscxlRp1Sw__uEsHDAlXaI9QjuBFVE7MawXfneRHjw8_dNI6P8o_wd0fABzSPlPom_AbbPr7yxjurUgSiqSW9_UWGgmOsswaoLrRDpIqwFoQWEF/s200/TheSummerTree.jpg" width="131" /></a><span id="goog_1987795830"></span><span id="goog_1987795831"></span><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/104088.The_Wandering_Fire" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgksTMUAEOj-EpFEajTdTkhJyofLMH38EMS7KSjuTPbF6D9LNSSmPa0ClGbHC6AMJ-zD4KYmH_XhZFw59iM_kgZRRrdON1a8-p9s4wGa9MVOQhACraxLkE8QB2_hu8U8F5GcSwlme68filE/s200/TheWanderingFire.jpg" width="133" /></a><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/290628.The_Darkest_Road" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW3qXhW941y2QuLmMhN7r8XPrDUE0Gvqg8-PD-OK55RnS1ZbbM6e0x1wOQAiglNKjHd-LRHfmzi5s-AyDSSlLG4PLb5-YqdgUzBW2lc-ovy186gTZAwz6ovFuYfB5KbWoZV6DwtMR62jEI/s200/TheDarkestRoad.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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Plus, here are <a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/2012/03/stars-of-ireland.html" target="_blank">some more Ireland-themed books</a> if you're interested<br />
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<b>A little bit of Irish step dance</b></div>
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<b>A curse to use on the next person who pisses you off</b></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="text-align: center;">
May the curse of Mary Malone and her nine blind illegitimate children chase you so far over the Hills of Damnation that the Lord himself can't find you with a telescope.</blockquote>
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<b>And in parting, a St. Patrick's Day blessing</b></div>
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May the Irish hills caress you.</div>
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May her lakes and rivers bless you.</div>
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May the luck of the Irish enfold you.</div>
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May the blessings of Saint Patrick behold you.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!</span></div>
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Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-90442442232540184272013-03-12T00:30:00.000-04:002013-03-12T00:30:00.519-04:00Mmm... Brains...Let's play a game. I'm going to say a word and you tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Ready? Here it is...<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">ZOMBIES</span></div>
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I would hazard a guess that a lot of you immediately thought of this...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul-9N0GBkf1swsr3L6B2KAfsksxfd3ivzIf_kBZPE8hpbCt-yDW0sW6EP8R5Vi9mYy5aa827hB5K8OPcyc56Y3aicRzDiiSeTEBApxedyZzSoogzmCaKbrfi05bu5Y9hyZPzYstQIJcs/s1600/Walking_Dead.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul-9N0GBkf1swsr3L6B2KAfsksxfd3ivzIf_kBZPE8hpbCt-yDW0sW6EP8R5Vi9mYy5aa827hB5K8OPcyc56Y3aicRzDiiSeTEBApxedyZzSoogzmCaKbrfi05bu5Y9hyZPzYstQIJcs/s320/Walking_Dead.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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The truth is, zombies are mainstream cool now, thanks to The Walking Dead. Because of that, I've been seeing more and more zombie books popping up. But, to be honest, The Walking Dead has sort of ruined me for all other brain-eaters. I have a hard time reconciling the nasty, decomposing, gooey "Geeks" with any sort of love interest in a book. All I can think of is, "eeeewwwwww...."<br />
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But, I'm proud to say that this week I started my very first zombie book:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rfueluuuRcBT6-jjLs6ZVpl-URGAASPJPny4ju-RynjAswarRXY_6EaSM97VISfzSG3kX3S1Y7eiaG8wR0dXYw3UsVMltcAPJDa6FXORB_60v-_B7CBxOboCKrtu2tsNzd6Tej5ovsg/s1600/13505044.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3rfueluuuRcBT6-jjLs6ZVpl-URGAASPJPny4ju-RynjAswarRXY_6EaSM97VISfzSG3kX3S1Y7eiaG8wR0dXYw3UsVMltcAPJDa6FXORB_60v-_B7CBxOboCKrtu2tsNzd6Tej5ovsg/s200/13505044.jpg" width="150" /> </a></div>
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I know it's a bit of a cop-out, what with the movie and all. Baby steps, y'all. I'm ready to overcome my preconceived notions and give the living dead a try. </div>
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So, let's hear from you. Have you read any good zombie books lately? What are your favorites? </div>
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And, just cause this is my post and I can do what I want, here's one of my favorite pics from The Walking Dead. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vD5zjvS8Hzs4i9WWV_rA0kcVh0doo1jQuEYP5FayAJGENQkBKcD9KQHNseMiwI_drP-BQifgi_VqkfiOH4d9fZjx3rCZil3cIJhyphenhyphen2W93wHD5I6g5DnAy1j79O82n4imYqotLmDp046Q/s1600/Darryl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1vD5zjvS8Hzs4i9WWV_rA0kcVh0doo1jQuEYP5FayAJGENQkBKcD9KQHNseMiwI_drP-BQifgi_VqkfiOH4d9fZjx3rCZil3cIJhyphenhyphen2W93wHD5I6g5DnAy1j79O82n4imYqotLmDp046Q/s1600/Darryl.jpg" /></a></div>
Oh. Yeah. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<br />Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16091094462938337416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-81540488496074517102013-03-08T07:38:00.000-05:002013-03-08T07:38:48.071-05:00Guess How I Died Winner<div style="text-align: center;">
Two weeks ago I<a href="http://greepsthroughshelves.blogspot.com/2013/02/guess-how-i-died-giveaway-and-auction.html"> posted</a> about Pas De Death by Amanda Brice and asked you to guess how I die in the book. Well the contest is over and we have a winner. </div>
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<span style="color: #990000;">Congrats to </span><a href="http://wall-to-wall-books.blogspot.com/"><span id="goog_1424049421"></span><span style="color: #990000;">Wendy @ Wall-to-Wall Books<span id="goog_1424049422"></span></span></a><span style="color: #990000;">!!</span></div>
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I also wanted to share my favorite entry because it made me equally amused and scared when I read it, haha.</div>
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;">Julie @ <a href="http://bookarooju.wordpress.com/"><span style="color: #990000;">Bookaroo-Ju</span></a> said...</span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;">"You slip on a blob of ice cream that someone has spilled on the floor of the local ice cream </span></strong></div>
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<strong><span style="color: #990000;">parlour and land with your eye impaled on a rather rigid waffle cone."</span></strong></div>
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- - - - -</div>
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<strong><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Pas De Death (Dani Spevak #3) by Amanda Brice</span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Releases March 22nd!! </span></strong><br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtJslk5DlQPyMg1FmUNXcifRD605NHzgA6yE79x3S9pz79keMvC5SyYSoJpzJlvBrM1bTFL2o-yNgJeva6KrzwVL4EAlSHBs5Ndeg-LqE1QyiK74yhXmtm8faC8OHB12mvOEUe9R5k6P4/s1600/PasDeDeath-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" closure_uid_865293019="2" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtJslk5DlQPyMg1FmUNXcifRD605NHzgA6yE79x3S9pz79keMvC5SyYSoJpzJlvBrM1bTFL2o-yNgJeva6KrzwVL4EAlSHBs5Ndeg-LqE1QyiK74yhXmtm8faC8OHB12mvOEUe9R5k6P4/s200/PasDeDeath-4.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
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Goodreads Summary:</div>
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Aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak is back home in New Jersey for the summer. What was supposed to be a simple day trip into New York City to visit her friends at the Manhattan Ballet Conservatory turns deadly when Dani discovers that the world of professional ballet can be cutthroat - literally.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><a href="http://lratrandom.blogspot.com/2013/02/chapter-1-of-pas-de-death-dani-spevak-3.html"><span style="color: #701e21;">READ CHAPTER 1 OF PAS DE DEATH HERE!!</span></a></span></b></div>
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<b>Book Links:</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Codename: Dancer (Dani Spevak Mystery #1) on</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11118067-codename" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Dancer-Spevak-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004WPOK7S/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359393635&sr=1-3&keywords=amanda+brice" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, &</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/codename-amanda-brice/1102887400?ean=9781461184010" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Pointe of No Return (Dani Spevak Mystery #2) on</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11255524-pointe-of-no-return" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pointe-Return-Spevak-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008AMCNQ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359393635&sr=1-1&keywords=amanda+brice" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, &</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pointe-of-no-return-amanda-brice/1110615390?ean=2940014370233" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></span></div>
Pas De Death (Dani Spevak Mystery #3) on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17341819-pas-de-death"><span style="color: #701e21;">Goodreads</span></a><br /><br /><b></b><b></b><br />
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<b><b>Author Links:</b></b></div>
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Amanda Brice's <a href="http://amandabrice.net/"><span style="color: #701e21;">Website</span></a></div>
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Amanda Brice on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4088218.Amanda_Brice"><span style="color: #701e21;">Goodreads</span></a></div>
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Thanks for reading!</div>
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GReep Jen<br /> </div>
LRAtRandomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10844413920128034932noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-77244268921105262152013-02-28T21:21:00.000-05:002013-02-28T21:21:32.586-05:00Booking Through Thursday- Current Events<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWCdGKXbdmxRvfbzSCF_LgtWIrQZrt77bVrnmXpcV8nstrXrAkU9MjNJ4YZRj7UbZvWUlrwbhGfkq4WTe1spHM2pmFBEAJ5_swrrOegnejt2UTwwfKaVp3rEhqr4TiG7j7BSgPuAkb0jn/s1600/btt2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwWCdGKXbdmxRvfbzSCF_LgtWIrQZrt77bVrnmXpcV8nstrXrAkU9MjNJ4YZRj7UbZvWUlrwbhGfkq4WTe1spHM2pmFBEAJ5_swrrOegnejt2UTwwfKaVp3rEhqr4TiG7j7BSgPuAkb0jn/s1600/btt2.jpg" gsa="true" height="136" width="400" /></a></div>
<h3 class="storytitle" id="post-958" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; color: #97c000; font: bolder 20px 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px 20px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme hosted at <a href="http://btt2.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">A blog over at wordpress of the same name.</a> This week's topic:</span></h3>
<h3 class="storytitle" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; color: #97c000; font: bolder 20px 'Lucida Grande', 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px 0px 12px 20px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
Current Events </h3>
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One of those quick, easy questions that I ask periodically because the answer is always changing:</div>
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What are you reading right now? (And, is it good? Would you recommend it? How did you choose it?)</div>
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Right now I'm reading <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/464690.Outlaw_of_Gor">Outlaw of Gor</a>. I'm nearly halfway and I would have to say, Yes! I would recommend it... with some caveats.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNoqe9Prpk_7g-KbPjEA9u5BbSOi0OZKFGgp5KJoEic-35hnkGwdUa0f2aPKK3nMjulQammZ_r6Q4MNSiJ98sVJ5en0_5NsF89joyLYk8N2y5viU5AEIiK_DVDxkfJph__SKJFGLZygZs/s1600/GOR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNoqe9Prpk_7g-KbPjEA9u5BbSOi0OZKFGgp5KJoEic-35hnkGwdUa0f2aPKK3nMjulQammZ_r6Q4MNSiJ98sVJ5en0_5NsF89joyLYk8N2y5viU5AEIiK_DVDxkfJph__SKJFGLZygZs/s1600/GOR.jpg" gsa="true" /></a></div>
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First off, this is the second book in the series, so you really need to read <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/464685.Tarnsman_of_Gor">Tarnsman of Gor</a> before you read this one. </div>
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Personally, I think this one is better than the first so far, but it's a bit different from today's fair and it certainly can't be considered PnR or UF. It's really more Scifi/Fantasy taking place on Gor "The Counter Earth" a planet orbiting the sun directly opposite our own. It's more sword and sorcery than Scifi although it's not long on the sorcery... Think Conan (although I've never read a Conan book).</div>
<br />
The world building is quite extensive and some will find the content highly objectionable. I've often heard this series described as soft core porn, but at a book and a half in, I've yet to see it. Maybe at the time of original publication in 1967 I would have felt differently, but then I hadn't been born yet. I certainly wasn't reading back then. I wouldn't call it a romance either although the first book did have a bit of a love story... it's really more action adventure.<br />
<br />
Where the series causes controversy is in it's treatment of woman as objects and sex slaves. The rules governing Gorean society are extensive and well developed and honestly, it works for me in the fictional context, but I can totally understand why it might get under some people's skin.<br />
<br />
If you like D/s style reads, you MIGHT like this, although again I caution that after a book and a half I've yet to see any sex. There are a ton of books in the series tho, so I imagine at some point it will earn it's "pornographic" reputation.<br />
<br />
I've heard about the Gor series for years and thought I'd give it a try. I read the first book about a year ago and like it but put the series on the back burner. It has the same sort of feel as a <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40425.Tarzan_of_the_Apes">Tarzan</a> book... often rediculous but fun nevertheless.<br />
<br />
In this particular case, I didn't know what I wanted to read next so I offered up an anonymous poll to my fellow GReeps and this is what won. Much to their chagrin when they discovered that <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46202.Magic_Study">Magic Study</a> by Maria V. Snyder was in the mix. I'm not sorry tho :)</div>
<em><br /></em><a href="http://s1303.beta.photobucket.com/user/GRTtS/library/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag160/GRTtS/Ashley.png" height="82" width="200" /></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837252497133741117noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-34150855261109149212013-02-27T10:23:00.000-05:002013-02-27T10:23:01.878-05:00Dear Kate | Recommendations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Do you know what the book world is missing? If you said jet packs, I'm with you 100 percent, but unfortunately that's not what I'm going to talk about today. As crucial to book blogging as jet packs should be, what the book world really needs is more advice columns. Where is the book blogger version of Dear Abby, or...okay, that's actually the only advice column I know. But still, we need one that applies to book bloggers. To that end, I have decided to start a new feature here on GReeps Through the Shelves, which I have plumbed the very depths of my creativity to name Dear Kate. In this feature, I will happily answer questions that readers may or may not have actually submitted and provide advice on a variety of pressing issues.<br />
<br />
By a stunningly fortuitous coincidence, I just happen to have a question right here, even though I only came up with this idea five minutes ago. It's weird how the world works, right?<br />
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<i>dear kate,</i><br />
<i><br /></i><i>there are just, like, so many books that i, like, really, REALLY love :) only my friends think they're dumb, so, like, how can i make every one of my myspace friends read, like, all my favorites?????</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>thx soooooooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</i><br />
<i>billie sue</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
Dear billie sue,<br />
<br />
While there's no way you can <i>make </i>your friends read the book you want to recommend (short of tying them to a chair and making them read aloud, prompting them with increasingly strong electric shocks when they falter, but when I suggested that, my lawyer assured me that it is illegal. Who knew?), you can certainly make your suggestion more palatable. It just takes three simple steps.<br />
<br />
First, send recommendations to every single person you know. They should all read this book! You like it so much, it's obviously the greatest thing since sliced bread, so there's no doubt every one of your friends (and acquaintances (and enemies that you're still Facebook friends with)) will like it too. You're suggesting a romance book and they only read nonfiction? No problem! You'll broaden their horizons. That's what friends are for!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinATihfLbZ0mMRRdfElqVMQgA3U-5xbrGVKognPQ7xk3JQzsFD1TdHXZgk8uaZIPUOR-KNOORIDePSxADzuV6QQ30EuH73aWC4xo6oSjPOIrDMJ8WW-0t5OutpgYmvtJB70bNNdpit10S9/s1600/persistence-cookie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinATihfLbZ0mMRRdfElqVMQgA3U-5xbrGVKognPQ7xk3JQzsFD1TdHXZgk8uaZIPUOR-KNOORIDePSxADzuV6QQ30EuH73aWC4xo6oSjPOIrDMJ8WW-0t5OutpgYmvtJB70bNNdpit10S9/s320/persistence-cookie.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Second, bring it up every time you see them; otherwise, they might forget what a great book it is, since they haven't read it yet. Remember, there's no such thing as bad publicity! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again! A stitch in time saves nine!*<br />
<br />
*I actually have no idea what this means, but I needed three sayings for flow and I couldn't think of any more that applied.<br />
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Finally, if all else fails, offer jet packs. I would read <i>The Catcher in the Rye</i>, part 2, independently published by Stephanie Meyer, if you gave me a functional jet pack. And I hated <i>The Catcher in the Rye</i>.<br />
<br />
Best of luck,<br />
KateKatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-49194131989138632672013-02-25T21:00:00.000-05:002013-02-26T12:30:08.257-05:00Top Ten Tuesdays<img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIF9NVU5YgHc94gpwBsSnB7adrmSXMuCKXZLPQ8XTuG9ibqn_NBEzOpgrRXvxZA2KXJQ19R6HmGIzG6Flz0AOGBMMMjNijTIsdjcttnts7sYvQV0tzVU0stPKAZTEZQsedqGmI7D0bGtWO/s1600/TTT3W.jpg" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is an original meme hosted at <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.nl/p/top-ten-tuesday-other-features.html" target="_blank">Broke and Bookish</a>! The top ten of this week:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><b>Top Ten Authors That I'd Put On My Auto-Buy List (basically an auto-buy list is no questions asked..you love this author so much that no matter what they wrote next you'd buy regardless of genre or subject matter)</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">In no particular order:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">1. Kathy Reichs everything she writes is well researched and the plots are awesome</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">2. Kelly Armstrong while I am not completely caught up on her stuff I am working on it and will continue to read anything she writes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">3.Katie McGarry she wrote Pushing the Limits, enough said</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">4. Gayle Forman, after reading If I Stay and Where She Went I will pick up anything and everything this woman writes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">5. Jim Butcher I am working on reading his Codex series but after the job he has done with Dresden he will be on auto-buy forever.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">6. Patricia Briggs love the way she writes and I am looking to finish gathering all of her earlier series</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">7. Juliet McKenna fell in love with her Einarinn series and have been looking for the rest ever since</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;">8.Michelle Sagara writes one of my favourite ongoing series right now the Cast series. If I can ever find them I will read anything that has her name on it</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: century gothic, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">I guess I only really have 8, there are a whole bunch of others I really enjoy but it pretty much has to be part of a series of theirs I am already reading for me to pick it up without looking.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: century gothic, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: century gothic, arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 20.796875px;">What about you guys? Who are the authors for you that it doesn't matter what it is, just that it is written by them?</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'century gothic', arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.796875px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div>
Britthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15416607384618164630noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-53340581063115752642013-02-25T10:17:00.000-05:002013-02-25T10:18:48.509-05:00Moody Monday<div style="text-align: center;">
This weekend was filled with excitement and fun... now that it's Monday, I am kind of sad. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Mostly because my DVR did not record Walking Dead, so now I am waiting for it to come on again so I can watch it... <strong>how sad!</strong></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Courier New", Courier, monospace;">But I also have some great news....</span> the WIP I have been working on it done! I wrote the last words of it yesterday afternoon and now today I start the tedious task of editing it and making sure all my duck are aligned in it. Then I send it off to a few good friends to edit it and then they send it back and I edit it again with their changes and then it starts the long, nerve-wracking task of being submitted to literary agents and small presses. </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<u><em>For those of you keeping watch, I have not heard back from Spencer Hill Press about Neophyte yet, but no news is good news, right?</em></u></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Anyways, here is a little excerpt from my new book (yes I can finally call it that because it has a beginning, middle and an end!). Remember it's still a rough cut! <br />
Hope you enjoy it!</div>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">Dex had gotten out and was sitting
by me when he first saw the flashlights.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“Shit. Cops” He muttered. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">Then at the same time, we both said
in panic. “I can’t get caught.”<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">He looked at me carefully then
stood up. “You know how to swim right?” he asked, pulling me to my feet. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">“Yes, of course. I just didn’t….” I
didn’t have a chance to finish he was picking me up and throwing me up in the
pond. When I came up, I wanted no more than to yell up a storm at him, but he was
beside me. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">“Swim.” He urged, Bec and Duncan
were already swimming toward the other side of the pond away from the lights.
It was hard though, all my clothes weighed me down, and I fought them to keep
going.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">“Hey! The pond is closed, you need
to get out of there! You’re trespassing!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A man yelled from the bank. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">“Just swim.” Dex coaxed me on. Fear
rippled through me, and he must have sensed it, because he stayed at my side
until we reached the bank on the other side.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">The pond was only about 100 feet across,
and when we made it to the bank, Dex crawled out and reached down and pulled me
out easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Come on.” <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">Duncan and Becs were no where to be
found. Dex took my hand, my flip flops forgotten somewhere at the bottom of the
pond and pulled me into the brush. “Keep going there is a path a little ways
in.” he was whispering in my ear, that’s how close he was to me, and I wasn’t
scared, not of him at least. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">Once we were on the path, Dex
slowed down, we were both drenched, and my pants sloshed with every step, it
was so far from being attractive, but he didn’t seem to notice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He just walked with my hand in his, a simple
act, but it was the world for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had
never felt such kindness from a man, at least not since I was little.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">We met Duncan and Bec where the car
was parked, Bec had stripped out of her wet bikini and put on her shorts and
tank top, Duncan too was dressed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
trunk was open and Dex let go of my hand as he grabbed his clothes out of the
trunk. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">“Here.” He handed me his t-shirt to
change into. Quickly though, I was realizing that I had a wet swimsuit on
underneath my clothes and no bra or panties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“You can change out of your wet stuff and we will get out of here.” <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">I stared at the shirt for a moment.
<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">“We really do not have time to
argue about it, and Duncan will not let you in his car drenched.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dex stated quietly.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">I took the t-shirt, regretting this
evening suddenly. How was I supposed to wear nothing but a t-shirt in the
company of two men?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I felt like I was
somehow cheating on Wyatt even though I had no intention to go back to him
ever. After I had walked to where I was sure no one could see me in the dark
night, I stripped down, wrung out my hair and slipped on Dex’s t-shirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scent of him surrounded me and I felt my
body responding to him, a feeling I don’t think I<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>had ever felt before, I knew I had never felt
this way when I was anywhere near Wyatt.<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">When I turned back to the others,
Duncan and Bec were beside the car, talking quietly. Dex was facing me, I was
sure he couldn’t see me though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His body
was lit up by the dome light inside the car, he wore nothing but his jeans
which hung low on his hips, showing off the definition of his muscles right
down to the ‘v’ that led down into his pants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I felt my mouth salivate and I blushed, glad he couldn’t see me staring
at him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One arm had a tattoo that
started on his chest and went down half of his arm, the other had some words
around the top of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I just stood
there for a moment, watching him, drinking him in with my eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">“Anna, you alright?” Bec called
into the darkness. “We have to get going before we are found.” That snapped me
out of my haze and I walked back over to the others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">“Yeah.” I tugged at the bottom of
Dex’s shirt, it was as long as the average sundress, but it was the fact that I
was wearing nothing under it that made me self-conscious. I was afraid that
they would be able to tell the reaction that Dex had on me. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<em><span style="background-color: white;">
</span></em><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">Dex walked toward me, "Damn Anna." he
muttered under his breath in a slight groan, my eyes widened, his raspy voice
doing nothing to calm the pulsing I felt deep in my abdomen. I tugged harder at
the bottom of his t-shirt, hoping he couldn’t tell just what his ice blue eyes
did to me when they looked at me like I was something he was hunting for
dinner. "Relax, it’s not like you’re the first woman I have seen wet
before.” <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><span style="background-color: white;">Definitely not prince charming. <o:p></o:p></span></em></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><em><o:p></o:p></em></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Can't wait to share the whole book with you all soon!!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>Now back to the chaos!</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><strong>~M</strong></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07386180797587599374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-89230277065355431912013-02-22T06:24:00.000-05:002013-02-22T06:24:03.790-05:00Guess how I died (a giveaway and auction announcement)<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Pas De Death (Dani Spevak #3) by Amanda Brice</span></b><br />
<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Releases March 22nd!! </span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtJslk5DlQPyMg1FmUNXcifRD605NHzgA6yE79x3S9pz79keMvC5SyYSoJpzJlvBrM1bTFL2o-yNgJeva6KrzwVL4EAlSHBs5Ndeg-LqE1QyiK74yhXmtm8faC8OHB12mvOEUe9R5k6P4/s1600/PasDeDeath-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-weight: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWtJslk5DlQPyMg1FmUNXcifRD605NHzgA6yE79x3S9pz79keMvC5SyYSoJpzJlvBrM1bTFL2o-yNgJeva6KrzwVL4EAlSHBs5Ndeg-LqE1QyiK74yhXmtm8faC8OHB12mvOEUe9R5k6P4/s200/PasDeDeath-4.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
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Goodreads Summary:</div>
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Aspiring ballerina Dani Spevak is back home in New Jersey for the summer. What was supposed to be a simple day trip into New York City to visit her friends at the Manhattan Ballet Conservatory turns deadly when Dani discovers that the world of professional ballet can be cutthroat - literally.</div>
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<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #cc0000;"><u><a href="http://lratrandom.blogspot.com/2013/02/chapter-1-of-pas-de-death-dani-spevak-3.html">READ CHAPTER 1 OF PAS DE DEATH HERE!!</a></u></span></b></div>
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<b>Book Links:</b></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Codename: Dancer (Dani Spevak Mystery #1) on</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11118067-codename" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Codename-Dancer-Spevak-Mystery-ebook/dp/B004WPOK7S/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359393635&sr=1-3&keywords=amanda+brice" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, &</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/codename-amanda-brice/1102887400?ean=9781461184010" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Pointe of No Return (Dani Spevak Mystery #2) on</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11255524-pointe-of-no-return" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Goodreads</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">,</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Pointe-Return-Spevak-Mystery-ebook/dp/B008AMCNQ4/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1359393635&sr=1-1&keywords=amanda+brice" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Amazon</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, &</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #4d4d4d; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pointe-of-no-return-amanda-brice/1110615390?ean=2940014370233" style="color: #359fd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Barnes and Noble</a></span></div>
Pas De Death (Dani Spevak Mystery #3) on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17341819-pas-de-death">Goodreads</a><br />
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<b><b>Author Links:</b></b></div>
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Amanda Brice's <a href="http://amandabrice.net/">Website</a></div>
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Amanda Brice on <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4088218.Amanda_Brice">Goodreads</a></div>
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Some of my followers on my blog (<a href="http://lratrandom.blogspot.com/">At Random</a>) have heard me talking about being a murder victim in author Amanda Brice's next book in the Dani Spevak Mystery series. That sounds really strange right?! Why in the world would I want to be murdered in a book? </div>
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It all started May of last year when I stumbled on Brenda Novak's Charity Auction. She had a ton of auctions going on with all of the proceeds going towards diabetes research. Diabetes has had a huge impact in the lives of some family members so I jumped at the chance to bid on some items and donate to research that could help so many. </div>
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One of the items I bid on was one that Amanda Brice had posted...the chance to name a murder victim in book 3 of the Dani Spevak series. I got into a little bit of a bidding war towards the end but I was the victor...and now I'm going to be murdered because of it! Sounds fair, yes?!</div>
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Amanda was a guest <a href="http://lratrandom.blogspot.com/2012/06/guest-post-from-author-amanda-brice.html">on my blog last year</a> to announce the news and more recently she talked about it on her <u><a href="http://amandabrice.net/">website</a>. </u> It was there she announced plans to hold the same auction this coming May. That means you can have the same opportunity that I did. The auction isn't live until May 1st but you can <a href="http://brendanovak.auctionanything.com/Bidding.taf?_function=detail&Auction_uid1=2882936">find it here</a> and bookmark it for later. Even if you don't want to name a (fictional) murder victim definitely check out the other auctions! Great prizes for a great cause!</div>
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<b>To help celebrate Amanda's new book, and my literary death, we're holding a giveaway!</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljKHMvJQ4dai-ogUvQnNjmUKjMQXBjxvz_U0zGBowtdfKgmQHIQZ8vtpvIffZZoIrN01kS4chL2NX85Ae1ZDwk8HKldLlKRW-WAwl1KpEk-rlEXW5yE_z34GgAOH5hGQpjvq_a8GgSO79/s1600/11118067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljKHMvJQ4dai-ogUvQnNjmUKjMQXBjxvz_U0zGBowtdfKgmQHIQZ8vtpvIffZZoIrN01kS4chL2NX85Ae1ZDwk8HKldLlKRW-WAwl1KpEk-rlEXW5yE_z34GgAOH5hGQpjvq_a8GgSO79/s200/11118067.jpg" width="140" /></a></div>
I've been hoarding an extra signed copy of Codename: Dancer (Dani Spevak Mystery #1) since April when Amanda and I first crossed paths at one of Turn the Page Bookstore's book signings. I thought it would be the perfect thing to giveaway.<br />
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How do you enter? <b>Guess how I die in Pas De Death. </b>I don't even know how it happens so it will be fun to read your guesses.<br />
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-Contest is open internationally<br />
-Fill out the below form to enter<br />
-Entries must be received by 11:59pm (EST) on March 7th<br />
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<b>Good Luck!!</b></div>
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<b>GReep Jen</b></div>
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<b><br /></b><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1edCeqaeZD6PTSw0Ost9d3AKPH63FPArRY3HuH2VNvs8/viewform?embedded=true" width="760" height="500" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0">Loading...</iframe>
LRAtRandomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10844413920128034932noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-92202860205006249952013-02-20T04:35:00.000-05:002013-02-20T04:35:02.141-05:00Prince Charming<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcTvF2bNcscHXVW21bGU8ZCrc3EuQOWE6pjqgeFH30vGKltRb7yzw7vm76ZJnFRWZ-sBZw55oHMRY2u_Egq6x1qJ412cnlQ3FtHYs7ufJcN3et-A0tHtEcB1EZMog0D3UCP8Wu5vJGEMx/s1600/378492875_7e8c3356d4_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcTvF2bNcscHXVW21bGU8ZCrc3EuQOWE6pjqgeFH30vGKltRb7yzw7vm76ZJnFRWZ-sBZw55oHMRY2u_Egq6x1qJ412cnlQ3FtHYs7ufJcN3et-A0tHtEcB1EZMog0D3UCP8Wu5vJGEMx/s320/378492875_7e8c3356d4_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Every girl dreams of having a prince charming. We all love the sexy hero's in our books. Who wouldn't want to be swept of her feet?<br />
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But do we really want someone who 'saves' us on a daily basis? Don't we all want to be strong and independed? I for one, hate to be dependent on someone. I want to take care of my own business.<br />
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A couple of days ago, I had troubles with my car. And the people at my stupid garage didn't took me serious and tried to con me. I hated that I needed my knight in shining armor to sweep in and save me... I wanted so bad to fix everything myself, to be independent, but I couldn't. And I hated it...<br />
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So for me, those princes can stay in their books, I'm a strong independent woman who will be her own hero! (And when I really need some help, I'll ask very heroically for help from my prince.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UBthFdHFtzOjnywFAdoj5Cr6Uxehq26zBFEovy0650muh9WLptBBPpqf0eYkntQCAK6Kk-lc0RhHOFmo_pA4BkeAUrPqhNX_54cS4tcTkp-H5kqDWuBn9UqTl7Pi8x8nI2wXJ5GHcjaA/s1600/wet-rubi-heroines-431.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> <img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7UBthFdHFtzOjnywFAdoj5Cr6Uxehq26zBFEovy0650muh9WLptBBPpqf0eYkntQCAK6Kk-lc0RhHOFmo_pA4BkeAUrPqhNX_54cS4tcTkp-H5kqDWuBn9UqTl7Pi8x8nI2wXJ5GHcjaA/s320/wet-rubi-heroines-431.jpg" width="320" /> </a> </div>
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Renéehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12200358588601177969noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-8383733128046060232013-02-15T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-15T00:00:11.995-05:00Friday Favorites: Cities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7oMD3KBf0uiRqNVMFvDy-65ki_8CVL4QW79yo5oP6L4mfGAayUXjKBZ-MpxhUlOXWTQVaaGgK9pqtzb5qXTD3i-yzhiGJJ6k-p22Vduev7KXV-yv3ZyEZOPD3q4cMqEStodGtIjNgx9U/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7oMD3KBf0uiRqNVMFvDy-65ki_8CVL4QW79yo5oP6L4mfGAayUXjKBZ-MpxhUlOXWTQVaaGgK9pqtzb5qXTD3i-yzhiGJJ6k-p22Vduev7KXV-yv3ZyEZOPD3q4cMqEStodGtIjNgx9U/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</i></div>
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<i>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</i></div>
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<i>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</i></div>
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<i>These are a few of our favorite things.</i></div>
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We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by <a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/">Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy</a> that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</div>
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This Weeks Topic Is:</h4>
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<b><i>Favorite Cities You've Visited</i></b></div>
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<b>Rome, Italy</b></div>
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When I was 16 I got to go with my (at the time) boyfriend and his school to Italy. It was a once in a life time experience and simply amazing. Everything about that city is rich in culture- the history, the art, the food. I would love to go back, and hopefully one day I will!</div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRiLGjFyim1JF9oh_kHQonnLFFq1Wpc-XdL36dzF8zOkw-qjgWm" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRiLGjFyim1JF9oh_kHQonnLFFq1Wpc-XdL36dzF8zOkw-qjgWm" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Orlando, Florida</b></div>
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I've been to Orlando five times (since I'm from Alabama it's not that long of a drive- 12 hours). Once when I was five, again when I was eight, twice when I was 18, and then I went again when they opened up the Harry Potter world. Honestly, Orlando itself isn't that fantastic, the city is kind of lame actually. But because it has Disney World and Universal Studios, it becomes EPIC. If you've never been to either, I strongly suggest you find your inner kid (and money in your wallet, a credit car you will be willing to file bankruptcy for, etc) and GO. </div>
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<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRWahPmvTQCMvZmAs_-ogrQ-fB5vNZTwk-WMWhN1QjT_gWK4DZjag" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRWahPmvTQCMvZmAs_-ogrQ-fB5vNZTwk-WMWhN1QjT_gWK4DZjag" /></a></div>
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<b>Panama City Beach, Florida</b></div>
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It's a big deal in my town to go down to PCB for Spring Break, we all do it. It's kind of crazy, but the ocean is fabulous and Shuckum's has the BEST seafood you will ever eat (along with $1 bills stapled to the walls- seriously, there's probably about a $1,000 in the place).</div>
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So those are my top picks, what are some of yours?!</div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-37185475528462700252013-02-14T14:55:00.000-05:002013-02-14T19:06:06.476-05:00Love is in the Air<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Love is in the Air</span></div>
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Alright, so this is hardly an original idea, but it IS Valentine's Day after all. So, I've composed my list of favorite couples from the genre of Urban Fantasy... I would include PnR, but for some reason, none of them made the list (nudge nudge, Kate... see what I did there?).<br />
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A warning to the spoiler uptight (like me) listing couples from a book or series is always a bit spoilerish. Most of them are fairly obvious, but there are a some here that are more spoilerish than others, with the relationship developing late in the series or unexepectedly.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43814.The_Vampire_Lestat">The Vampire Chronicles</a> by Anne Rice</div>
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Urban Fantasy? Okay, maybe not. Usually, you'll find this classic series under horror, but to me it is definitely a forerunner to what these days is called Urban Fantasy. If you haven't read the series I strongly recommend it, at least the first two books. Interview with the Vampire is a great book in it's own right, but it takes on a whole new dimension when paired with The Vampire Lestat. By the end of Interview, you'll hate Lestat like you've hated few literary characters. By the end of tVL, well... try it, you'll see. As for the couple, Lestat is probably the only meglomaniac that I actually adore.</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/301082.Dead_Until_Dark">Sookie Stackhouse Series</a> by Charlaine Harris</div>
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Yeah, you read that right! Wanna make something of it? I'll be the first to agree that Eric of True Blood is way more yummy delicious, but as far as the books go, I think Bill was always the better match for Sookie. Yes, he f'ed up royally. But he's spent every book since trying to get back into Sookie's good graces. I have little doubt BILL would do ANYTHING for Sookie. Eric? It really just depends on what's in it for him. I can't remember his name right now, but with regard to the books, I'd choose the were-tiger for Sookie, before Eric. Sorry, Rene and Sonnie, I call it like I READ it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloydkB_TKPDKEm3apUn0ewW2dVn0B91bNaknesg6Urx0pzr31HwQi27AHkwFQ7F4oypcfY5jMGouyGez8tnBbBYwVsS6835uAg98Z6X45m3ttw9KOlus7jcB4mQTtU9pZPyLaEXGmXzrv/s1600/Guild+Hunter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhloydkB_TKPDKEm3apUn0ewW2dVn0B91bNaknesg6Urx0pzr31HwQi27AHkwFQ7F4oypcfY5jMGouyGez8tnBbBYwVsS6835uAg98Z6X45m3ttw9KOlus7jcB4mQTtU9pZPyLaEXGmXzrv/s1600/Guild+Hunter.jpg" height="200" uea="true" width="122" /></a>8) Elena and Raphael </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3819326-angels-blood">Guild Hunter Series</a> by Nalini Singh</div>
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Elena is one of those heroines you just love to read about. In a world where most of her adviseraies over-match her, she still manages to come out on top thru her wit, fighting prowess and her decisiveness. Raphael is a male lead with tremendous gravitas. Is he Barrons or Curran? No, but he is cut from the same cloth. Together this is a fantastic power couple. Besides, I like the pairings that clash with each other. It makes for heightened romantic tension and energetic exchanges.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFlbpbDb8jHBrSWQlJAevFFzPqSYgRzUz3yH4Fcq5ETbBoErfI8SY4Jmje6E_ld_HC0mstxcxTj1_JdvuhPjG8g-c6vFecxmWPQVgCJQBOEtw4ZMYB7soOcb8Q_cznhfT3D4U6e5coPYF/s1600/Night+Huntress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVFlbpbDb8jHBrSWQlJAevFFzPqSYgRzUz3yH4Fcq5ETbBoErfI8SY4Jmje6E_ld_HC0mstxcxTj1_JdvuhPjG8g-c6vFecxmWPQVgCJQBOEtw4ZMYB7soOcb8Q_cznhfT3D4U6e5coPYF/s1600/Night+Huntress.jpg" height="200" uea="true" width="116" /></a>7) Kat and Bones </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1421990.Halfway_to_the_Grave">Night Huntress Series</a> by Jeaniene Frost</div>
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Yeah, yeah. A lot of you would rank this couple much higher than me. The early books in the series were very good, but I think it has been less so of late. That's neither here nor their really. Kat is your typical ass kicking heroine and although Bones can rightly be considered a powerhouse, unlike Raphael above, he isn't cut from the same cloth as a Curran or Barrons, even tho I've seen a ton of ladies suggest that he is. My problem is, when I read these books, the term "whipped" always jumps to mind when I read about Bones. *Shrug* to each their own ;)</div>
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6) ?? and ?? </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7094569-feed">Newsflesh Trilogy</a> by Mira Grant</div>
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Last chance. I withheld the names above in case you haven't read ALL of this series. If you don't want to be spoiled, stop reading now or skip the rest of this entry. Still here? Fine. It's a little on the creepy side, but all the same Georgia and Shaun are fantastic together. Some will pick up on the romantic overtones immediately. Some will only see the familial relationship and overlook the more disturbing current that only becomes in your face in the third book. Regardless, these two make a great pairing.</div>
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5) Toby and ?? </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294549-rosemary-and-rue">October Daye Series</a> by Seanan McGuire</div>
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You see the "??" right? You know what that means, don't you? You need to have read all of the series to date to avoid the spoiler. You have been warned. Okay, I pretty much saw this coming from the beginning although Seanan sure tried to make it seem like it wouldn't go that way. Tibalt is da friggin' bomb yo diggity! Don't believe me? Ask Kate, she'll tell you. Cats friggin rock. The king of cats? Forget about it. Tibalt is just the right about of billigerence tempered by total reliability. He's one kitty welcome to curl up on my lap anytime he feels like it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0a9V6xoOcWXc-GrvHAthbT3eWE6Vg-Aat46SoydUN2tK1rm_1kZP3AJykVndq8KJkBmMk07qPwTsrJWs2L4p5xHYOngdzJi_0ZtY3Fsq7IiqPLd2GGilwusYSIK2NOI6ZCXaId4-vXck/s1600/anna.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0a9V6xoOcWXc-GrvHAthbT3eWE6Vg-Aat46SoydUN2tK1rm_1kZP3AJykVndq8KJkBmMk07qPwTsrJWs2L4p5xHYOngdzJi_0ZtY3Fsq7IiqPLd2GGilwusYSIK2NOI6ZCXaId4-vXck/s1600/anna.jpg" height="200" uea="true" width="124" /></a>4) Anna and Charles </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2355575.Cry_Wolf">Alpha and Omega Series</a> by Patricia Briggs</div>
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Like I said, Kate, I confined this list to UF... deal with it ;) Anna is a very entrancing lead female. It's hard to make a woman vulnerable in books without making her weak. Anna is the perfect blend of fragile and assertive, you want someone to be protecting her while at the same time know that she'll manage to take care of herself regardless. Charles' armor is far from the shining variety, but he is a brute of a champion. He loves Anna with a possessiveness reserved for Alphas and Doms without making you hate his overbearing nature. He can take care of me anytime ;)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz8K_dtZBnIDKgvtLeTCHN8sCtsmjb8pcJE2UuJpnRj5jdiaz9vUjpMRTZ-qgFZRul55i_z8s7aRHW-z0FT7ZDgN9eeIN6lDH3UtpBlvRrF-5nq9EbfNBspDnrLisSiAXUlyX9IfwE2NE/s1600/Kori.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlz8K_dtZBnIDKgvtLeTCHN8sCtsmjb8pcJE2UuJpnRj5jdiaz9vUjpMRTZ-qgFZRul55i_z8s7aRHW-z0FT7ZDgN9eeIN6lDH3UtpBlvRrF-5nq9EbfNBspDnrLisSiAXUlyX9IfwE2NE/s1600/Kori.jpg" height="200" uea="true" width="125" /></a>3) Kori and Ian </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11000229-shadow-bound">Unbound Series</a> by Rachel Vincent</div>
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I can't tell you how impressed I was with Kori in this book. She's easily one of my all time favorite female leads. She's gritty, tenacious, brilliant, and selfless. An absolute joy to read about. Ian was a perfect compliment. The chemistry these two had was fantastic and was an even better pairing than Liv and Cam in the first book. While I can't wait for book three, I'm really going to miss this particular pairing. I hope they get a bigger cameo than Liv and Cam got in Shadow Bound.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW9bTXiepDw1NtaJpCaJLOeTgsB4hJ5v-MMO221fRgdLj4GX2J_f_CvX73xPVLcF4M9nHZeQIWU33A4wx09qYnjMWozYYwQflNvwepYuAUujLhfLxYqmRkwarx6x0upNSMpI4_qmOlxGm/s1600/Mac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXW9bTXiepDw1NtaJpCaJLOeTgsB4hJ5v-MMO221fRgdLj4GX2J_f_CvX73xPVLcF4M9nHZeQIWU33A4wx09qYnjMWozYYwQflNvwepYuAUujLhfLxYqmRkwarx6x0upNSMpI4_qmOlxGm/s1600/Mac.jpg" height="200" uea="true" width="133" /></a>2) Mac and Barrons </div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112750.Darkfever">Fever Series</a> by Karen Marie Moning</div>
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Whoop there it is! Yeah, I know what you're thinking... Why isn't this number one? Well my friend it is a truly close call. This is a brilliantly conceived and amazingly executed story. You really have to treat the whole series as a single contiguous book. The amount of growth Mac goes thru is staggering. It's rare to see so much change in a lead character, but the ride is well worth it. Barrons is the quenticential alpha male. He's bad all the way thru in the best sort of way. The only time you'll think "whipped" with him is if he's brandishing one. Yum!</div>
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1) Kate and Curran</div>
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38619.Magic_Bites">Kate Daniels Series</a> by Ilona Andrews</div>
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Did I say it was a close call for the top spot? Well, it was, but in the end there's no beating the chemistry between Kate and Curran. The WRITERS a husband and wife team that have dubbed themselves Ilona Andrews capture that magical quality everyone wants to experience in their own relationships. The banter between these two love birds is uproarious good fun and Curran is every bit as Alpha as Barrons is only with a more honorable side. While Mac and Barron's relationship is dark and wild, Kate and Curran's is just flat out fun.</div>
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So there you have it, good reader, my top 10 urban fantasy couples. Happy Valentine's day!</div>
<em><br /></em><a href="http://s1303.beta.photobucket.com/user/GRTtS/library/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1303.photobucket.com/albums/ag160/GRTtS/Ashley.png" height="82" width="200" /></a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10837252497133741117noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-21758452580114911122013-02-13T00:00:00.000-05:002013-02-13T00:00:03.303-05:00Waiting on Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpzli5dtYbOuUwkX2SMXwMPn63-4MSGQYjYN_XGFiEqatgiSkL_kX9WxF0IWAerKMkmIkgRLjKqswuQSOYM3Ro-oP8IuTtHOiysIxPFKeK3IEZyBZ91OXYVBENi7WTmQLmDzGZNGvh4gA/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" /></a></div>
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"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Breaking the Spine</a> that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.</div>
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This week I'm waiting for <i><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13501633-midnight-blue-light-special" target="_blank">Midnight Blue-Light Special</a></i> by Seanan McGuire, book 2 of the <i>InCryptid</i> series. It's expected to be published March fifth.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WRcAm7V3t40yUn79EZunxlbSMQJEV-5VDX901YJdCI2KK-yAfR66IqirTIse0r5Lm-m781xRLZD0ldR8HuPNYSPgNhaZvfD8nyhQ8dz_i09OuIBEY4i3d_S7-1s4mSgfi39upup36UQ7/s1600/Midnight+Blue-Light+Special.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0WRcAm7V3t40yUn79EZunxlbSMQJEV-5VDX901YJdCI2KK-yAfR66IqirTIse0r5Lm-m781xRLZD0ldR8HuPNYSPgNhaZvfD8nyhQ8dz_i09OuIBEY4i3d_S7-1s4mSgfi39upup36UQ7/s320/Midnight+Blue-Light+Special.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Cryptid, noun:<br />
1. Any creature whose existence has been suggested but not proven scientifically. Term officially coined by cryptozoologist John E. Wall in 1983.<br />
2. That thing that's getting ready to eat your head.<br />
3. See also: "monster."<br />
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The Price family has spent generations studying the monsters of the world, working to protect them from humanity--and humanity from them. Enter Verity Price. Despite being trained from birth as a cryptozoologist, she'd rather dance a tango than tangle with a demon, and when her work with the cryptid community took her to Manhattan, she thought she would finally be free to pursue competition-level dance in earnest. It didn't quite work out that way...<br />
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But now, with the snake cult that was killing virgins all over Manhattan finally taken care of, Verity is ready to settle down for some serious ballroom dancing—until her on-again, off-again, semi-boyfriend Dominic De Luca, a member of the monster-hunting Covenant of St. George, informs her that the Covenant is on their way to assess the city's readiness for a cryptid purge. With everything and everyone she loves on the line, there's no way Verity can take that lying down.<br />
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Alliances will be tested, allies will be questioned, lives will be lost, and the talking mice in Verity's apartment will immortalize everything as holy writ--assuming there's anyone left standing when all is said and done. It's a midnight blue-light special, and the sale of the day is on betrayal, deceit...and carnage.</blockquote>
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<i>Discount Armageddon</i>, book 1, was funny, interesting, and creative, and Seanan McGuire's series usually get better as they go. Can't wait for this one! What books are you waiting for?</div>
Katehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01832951560443028694noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-69891111252933655142013-02-12T00:30:00.000-05:002013-02-12T00:30:02.338-05:00A Character Study - Rose and Dimitri<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1EVQBGvnNDAhbT8sOQxJCKyVrbaLY9n22VXAzYcSn_mbWIIl6cA0fjF3CbDgx6HQfTpuIyoWCgP1LErzmxPW4DEkpHaD61rvZcnWZGZimFbH43r_eliq_fOErsDRMfQZGc5lu35mKvc/s1600/345627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1EVQBGvnNDAhbT8sOQxJCKyVrbaLY9n22VXAzYcSn_mbWIIl6cA0fjF3CbDgx6HQfTpuIyoWCgP1LErzmxPW4DEkpHaD61rvZcnWZGZimFbH43r_eliq_fOErsDRMfQZGc5lu35mKvc/s320/345627.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
The day for flowers, hearts and candy is almost here, and it seems that many of my fellow bloggers have romance on their minds. I've been thinking about it too, in bookish terms, of course. One of my favorite series is the Vampire Academy series. I read them in late 2011, one right after the other. The series has everything I love and need in great books - a kick ass heroine, lots of action, vampires, and a great love story. In honor of Valentine's Day, let's take a closer look at that last one, shall we? (Beware of spoilers)<br />
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<b>Not Off To A Great Start</b><br />
Rose first meets Dimitri when he plays creeper around her apartment. He was sent to bring her and her BFF Lissa back to school, and Rose isn't happy about it. She tries to beat him up, but Dimitri is 6'7" and built like a brick shithouse, so she doesn't get very far. But, even in this crazy, amped up situation, Dimitri sees something in Rose that he admires.<br />
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<i>"Doing that... protecting her like that - it was very brave." He paused. "</i><i>Stupid, but still brave."</i></div>
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<i>- Dimitri, Vampire Academy</i></div>
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<b>Love Is In The Air</b><br />
It's obvious that Dimitri isn't like most guys. Sure, he likes big boobs and a pretty face, but what he is really attracted to is a girl's character. He must respect her before he can love her. And, in his mind, you can't have one without the other. Strength of character is paramount to Dimitri. And, he finds it in Rose in spades.<br />
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<i>"I can't do it by myself," I whispered.<br />"You can," he said. There was a tremulous note in his voice. "You're strong—you're so, so strong. It's why I love you.” </i></div>
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<i>- Rose and Dimitri, Shadow Kiss</i></div>
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Rose is looking for someone her equal. She's an amazing fighter, she shirks authority when the situation calls for it, and above all else, she is dedicated to protecting her charge. I don't think Rose could be with someone who didn't feel the same way.<br />
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<i>"I'd never met anyone else who took being a guardian so seriously, who understood all the life-and-death consequences... We might get lonely sometimes. We might have to put our fun on hold. But that was the way it had to be. We understood each other. Our lives would never be easy."</i></div>
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<i>- Rose, Vampire Academy</i></div>
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<b>True Love Never Runs Smooth</b><br />
As is always the case, there's trouble in paradise. In the beginning, Dimitri puts the brakes on things between them because he's afraid his feelings will impair his judgment. It's a sound argument. It you were in a life or death situation and you could save a co-worker or a lover, who would YOU pick?<br />
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<i>"If I let myself love you, I won't throw myself in front of her. I'll throw myself in front of you,"</i></div>
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<i>-Dimitri, Vampire Academy</i></div>
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But, in the end their love wins out and they decide to try and find a way to make it all work. Until he gets turned into a bad guy and Rose makes the agonizing decision to kill him since that is what he would have wanted. Can you even imagine that? I know I can't. Yet, Rose gives it the old college try. It's not her fault that her stake misses the mark.<br />
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<b>Happily Ever After</b><br />
Rose and Dimitri make it through almost certain death (on both of their parts), and other potential love interests to end up together in the end. I think it's that aforementioned strength of character that leads them through the rough stuff, and a deep seated and everlasting love for one another to sustain them. This is my favorite bookish couple in books. Who is yours?<br />
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<br />Kristahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16091094462938337416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-37752668798889467722013-02-11T06:00:00.000-05:002013-02-11T08:51:12.737-05:00Home!<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><b>Sorry that Monday's have been quiet! </b></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was on vacation! </span></div>
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<a href="http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww103/searchin4batman/ceecd9e1-0533-47a7-8406-a159012d1601_zpsf38999f7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://i710.photobucket.com/albums/ww103/searchin4batman/ceecd9e1-0533-47a7-8406-a159012d1601_zpsf38999f7.jpg" width="132" /></a></div>
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<b>My family and I took our bi-annual yearly trip to Disney World. </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">While we were gone, I surprisingly had a lot of reading time! I managed to catch up on a few books that I have been wanting to read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So when I left I was reading: </span></div>
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1271790654m/7747064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1271790654m/7747064.jpg" /></a></div>
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A 4 out of 5 book for me.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I finished that, I moved onto the much anticipated:</span></div>
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333628241m/11300302.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1333628241m/11300302.jpg" /></a></div>
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<i>Which earned my first 5 our of 5 stars of 2013. </i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And on the plane on the way home I started: </span></b></div>
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<a href="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323400027m/7619057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1323400027m/7619057.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Which I had to read before I saw the movie. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>The book was only a 3 our of 5 but I still plan on seeing the movie!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>What about you? What have you been reading???</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>~M</b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07386180797587599374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4358112667918245982.post-56773424503865462632013-02-08T08:51:00.000-05:002013-02-08T08:51:04.188-05:00Friday Favorites: Actors<center>
<a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/" title="Friday Favorites"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ7oMD3KBf0uiRqNVMFvDy-65ki_8CVL4QW79yo5oP6L4mfGAayUXjKBZ-MpxhUlOXWTQVaaGgK9pqtzb5qXTD3i-yzhiGJJ6k-p22Vduev7KXV-yv3ZyEZOPD3q4cMqEStodGtIjNgx9U/s1600/FridayFavorites.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></center>
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<em>Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens</em></center>
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<em>Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens</em></center>
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<em>Brown paper packages tied up with strings</em></center>
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<em>These are a few of our favorite things.</em></center>
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We all talk a lot about books on our blogs, but what about other things we like? Friday Favorites is a meme hosted by <a href="http://neverbakeinblack.blogspot.com/"><span style="color: #701e21;">Epic (Chocolate) Fantasy</span></a> that gives book bloggers a chance to gush about something other than novels.</center>
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This week's topic is 'Actors'</center>
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<strong>I like Sandra Bullock in general but one of my fav's is her and Ryan Reynolds in The Proposal</strong></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHGtJNWpRz5EtnJfMLWp3p58JsqxKnpfWNpxzO8hNQVu8szoBjQSWXDI4SdHf-WQxPFFIFlrlZTuIjvXihm0PllSSlKPTVERcGX2kdBmmoEpydTSLvdNOuKymMpKrb_-YTwfMjc25_cO7/s1600/theproposal-intheoffice.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" jea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMHGtJNWpRz5EtnJfMLWp3p58JsqxKnpfWNpxzO8hNQVu8szoBjQSWXDI4SdHf-WQxPFFIFlrlZTuIjvXihm0PllSSlKPTVERcGX2kdBmmoEpydTSLvdNOuKymMpKrb_-YTwfMjc25_cO7/s320/theproposal-intheoffice.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><em><a href="http://cinemasights.wordpress.com/2009/12/26/the-proposal-2009/">Image Source</a></em></span></center>
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<strong>Katherine Heigl in The Ugly Truth, 27 Dresses, and Life As We Know It</strong></center>
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<strong>And of course Gerard Butler is a cutie in this one.</strong></center>
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<em><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ugly_truth/">Image Source</a></span></em></div>
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<strong>Julia Roberts in some of her older movies like </strong></center>
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<strong>Runaway Bride, Stepmom, Pretty Woman, and Erin Brokovich</strong></center>
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<a href="http://www.blondeepisodes.com/2010/04/pretty-woman.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Image Source</em></span></a></div>
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<strong>Emma Stone in Easy A and Zombieland</strong></center>
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I can't even tell you how excited I am that there's going to be a Zombieland 2!!</center>
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<a href="http://ctcmr.com/2009/10/21/zombieland-2009/"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Image Source</em></span></a></div>
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<strong>Liam Neeson in Taken and Taken 2</strong></center>
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<a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/taken/"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image Source</span></em></a></center>
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<strong>The Rock in Walking Tall</strong></center>
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<strong>The Rock & Seann William Scott in The Rundown</strong></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFzbArk8ZoQOJI73ZYyAsN6KG8cMY9CX6HVV9QoPmFDfvoET610ilj4rlPzMQ1cwsetj-ORsR2p7ZDx5kfxSmAK9bvOYr4RGlAnHtKEbr0dKsAYe-XgHh2cyDdQytAxVOzsrcyIX9V_rX/s1600/the-rundown-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" jea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZFzbArk8ZoQOJI73ZYyAsN6KG8cMY9CX6HVV9QoPmFDfvoET610ilj4rlPzMQ1cwsetj-ORsR2p7ZDx5kfxSmAK9bvOYr4RGlAnHtKEbr0dKsAYe-XgHh2cyDdQytAxVOzsrcyIX9V_rX/s320/the-rundown-20.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/the-rundown/photo-gallery-detail/MV001396320000/33582?aid=zap2it"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><em>Image Source</em></span></a></div>
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<strong>And last but certainly not least...</strong></center>
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<strong>Anna Kendrick & Skyler Astin in Pitch Perfect</strong></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVOyk5G4V1dlMjMvOtDILkc4jyFKVTuLJ4t_gEw9HQxd91bEdRW8TLYT3WYoG78WX6ySpjVK7mAbT5oncFP16pLJ69B6rJBOxX3eH3xjwzqL0UlMjExvV95QKZoZS8ngDJBbmzIabQgg4/s1600/img8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" jea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEVOyk5G4V1dlMjMvOtDILkc4jyFKVTuLJ4t_gEw9HQxd91bEdRW8TLYT3WYoG78WX6ySpjVK7mAbT5oncFP16pLJ69B6rJBOxX3eH3xjwzqL0UlMjExvV95QKZoZS8ngDJBbmzIabQgg4/s320/img8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.pitchperfectmovie.com/"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">Image Source</span></em></a></center>
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<strong>Who are your favorite actors or actresses?</strong></center>
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<strong>Thanks for Reading!</strong></center>
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<strong>GReep Jen</strong></center>
LRAtRandomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10844413920128034932noreply@blogger.com4