...well, for nothing, really. :o)

So, peeps, how about picking a favorite quote from a favorite book? It doesn't have to be your very favorite book...just a quote that stuck with you for whatever reason. It can be dialogue or description or dedication or anything you like. Isn't that easy?

Here are mine (I have two, because I can):

> From Lynn Kurland's The More I See You (I'm posting more than my favorite bit so you can get the context):

She picked a star and wished on it.

"A decent guy", she began, then shook her head. She was wishing, why not go all the way?

"All right, since we're here in England, I'll have a fair and gallant knight", she amended. "One with lots of chivalry. And I'd like one with a steady job, an even temper, and a house with room enough for a concert grand piano. And I'd like this man to love me at least as much as he loves himself. That isn't too much to ask, is it?"

The bit that stuck with me is the wishing for a man that would love her "at least as much as he loves himself". I completely get that.

My other favorite is descriptive (oh so perfectly descriptive). It's from Suz's Hot Target. It is a brief description of Robin as he is returning home after a very long night:

He moved in that hyper-careful, cringing, the-world-is-both-too-bright-and-too-loud manner of the super-hungover.

I'm not sure if Jules is doing the describing or if it is Suz but, either way, that is the best, most concise description of a hangover evar. LOL

Now might be a good time for me to mention again how much I'm looking forward to Force of Nature (scroll down a bit for the blurb). So very excited!! W00t!!!

Your turn, peeps. Have at it!

ETA: Suz was over on Romance Buy the Book/By the Blog today and posted a short excerpt of FON - and it features Jules and Robin (those of you who frequent by here know how much I love Jules - and how much I want him to end up with Robin)!! Go here to check it out. *happy dancing* Also, I'm out of town this weekend for a graduation extravaganza with the fam so I'll be scarce. Keep the quotes coming - you have all weekend to ponder and dig the books out of your keeper piles.

Labels: book stuff, linkage, Suz

Darn it! ;-)

Okay, here goes...

Four things About ME!

Things you may not have known about me:

1. I wanted to be an artist when I grew up (before a sad realization regarding my lack of talent).
2. I sleep with a nightlight but then cover my eyes.
3. I don't like to drive (I prefer to be driven...obviously, I had a chaffeur in a previous life).
4. I am a fountain of useless knowledge (some of you already knew that, I think).

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. check-out clerk
2. bank teller
3. general assistant/go-fer
4. government paper-pusher

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. The Princess Bride
2. The Philadelphia Story
3. Sense and Sensibility
4. Serenity

Four places I have lived:
1. Richmond, KY
2. Texarkana, TX
3. Fairfax, VA
4. Huntsville, AL

Four of my favorite foods:
1. peanut butter
2. french fries
3. fried chicken
4. roast turkey

Four places I'd rather be right now:
1. the Bahamas
2. Italy
3. Australia
4. around-the-world cruise

Four people I tag:
You'll be glad to hear this one dies with me (unless someone who hasn't already answered really wants to). ;-)

Labels: meme

A shot from the Hawaii trip - this is the flag flying over the Arizona Memorial.

:o)

Labels: holiday, pictures, vacay

/end southern drawl

So, this is my Spring/Summer look, I think. I might tinker a bit more but not for a while. I'm headed off into the scrapbook zone this weekend. W00t! Oh yeah, I might go check out some pirates, too.

Some eye candy for your enjoyment:



Set sail for a fabulous weekend mateys!

Labels: cuties, entertainment, holiday, pictures, pirates, tinkering

...the 'rents are visiting this weekend so I won't be around much.

...or is it just me?? Let me give you the specifics - I am currently reading Adele Ashworth's The Duke's Indiscretion (yes, I know my sidebar is out of date...shut up). I've just started but it seems fine so far...her books tend to start off slow, says me. Anyway, this is the cover:



Yes, it's a nice enough cover and I'm sure the red is very eye-catching on store shelves. I'm even glad you don't really see faces (I don't want to see faces...but that's me). The part that is an issue for me is this:

From page 33, a description of our heroine: ..."massively curly, thick strawberry-blond hair pulled back from her face with pins and tied with a ribbon, exposing a wide forehead, and sadly drawing attention to her spectacles, which did nothing more than hide her feminine appearance." Also, there are several passages that emphasize that Charlotte is quite voluptuous.

Okay, now to meet our hero. From page 41: ..."the sun from the window behind his head making his dark blond hair shine brilliantly as it fell behind his ears. He had flawless skin, as she'd been able to tell from last week's close observance by lamplight, and hazel eyes, thickly lashed and very keen."

Now that you've read what our couple looks like, take another look at the cover. Who are those people??? Dude is not dark blond. And chick is not a strawberry blond, any more than I am (of course, that means nothing to you - you haven't seen me - but trust me) - and where are the masses of curly hair? And if that is voluptuous, I don't even want to think what I am!

I know it's a small thing. But, because it is a small thing, shouldn't the publisher try to get it right? I mean, how hard can it be to tweak a cover a bit...PhotoShop, anyone?? They can do anything with PhotoShop, it seems. Just a little effort would be nice, don't you think??

Labels: 2 cents, book stuff, covers

...I mentioned over on Kristie's blog how nifty Netvibes is. It can help you keep track of all your favorite blogs and other websites - on your home computer and others, since it is web based.

You can load in all your favorite blogs by typing in the web address and, after Netvibes confirms that there is some sort of feed (RSS, etc), it will show all your faves like this:



If you roll your cursor over the title of a post, it will look like this. See the little yellow box? It has the first few lines of the post:


If you actually click on the post title, this happens:


Sorry the screen caps are kinda small but click them and they will be BIG. Anywho, I like it! It was especially helpful when my hard drive went bad. I only wish I had loaded on more of my favorite blogs and links. I'm still rebuilding.

Labels: computer stuff, gadgets, linkage

...(I just couldn't stay awake!), I thought I would do my vacation book report. Since we had many days at sea, a few that were too cold and windy to venture up on deck, there was plenty of reading time. Yay! Usually, on a trip like this I try to take books that I think I will enjoy but not so much that I will want to keep them - that way I can abandon donate them to the ship's library. I managed to do that, mostly. ;-)

Anywho, here's what I read and my thoughts:

>Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison - this had been in my TBR forever! I really liked it and am looking forward to continuing the series. Not really romance but there seems to be some potential there for future books.

> The Marriage Bed by Laura Lee Guhrke (I always have to check the spelling on her name...I want it to be different, somehow) - even though I'm reading this series out of order - I hate that! - I'm still enjoying it bunches!

> Edge of Fear by Cherry Adair - the second in the Edge series. It's been so long since I read the first one, I'm not sure but I think I liked this one better. I usually enjoy her stuff, though. Wizard special agents!

> Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day (aka Alesia Holliday) - excellent kick-off to a new series! I haven't read anything she's written under her other name but I may have to check those books out. I love Atlantis stuff! (I was trying for an ocean related theme on some of my selections.) A bit Dark Hunter-ish, maybe?

> The Nymph King by Gena Showalter - see, my ocean theme continues! I'm really enjoying her Atlantis series. It is lighter in tone than Alyssa Day's, by the way. I need to check on when the next one comes out.
> Calamity Jayne by Kathleen Bacus- another first in a series. More chick-lit-ish but enjoyable. I'll check out the others, eventually, but I'm not in a big rush.

> Code of Honor by Catherine Mann - another first in a series. It is similar but different to her Wingmen Warriors. These are single titles so they're longer and more detailed. If you like the occasional military romance and haven't tried Cathy's books - what are you waiting for??

> How to Abduct a Highland Lord by Karen Hawkins - her books are always fun. Oh, it's the start of a new series at a new publisher, too. I couldn't see any big differences between this book and the books she wrote for Avon, so if you liked her before you still will. A nice, light read.

I also started Katie MacAlister's Last of the Red Hot Vampires but put it aside (not in the right mood, I guess). So, of the books I took, I only came home with 3 (and a half) that I didn't read. Not too shabby, since it's hard to guess what I'll be in the mood for. On this trip, I seemed to be in a paranormal groove. :o)

Thoughts??

Labels: 2 cents, book stuff, vacay

...now that the Derby is over (not one horse I liked placed), here are a few pics from Hawaii. I tried to pick my fave from each stop but sometimes it was too hard!

Here's a shot of Maui, taken from our balcony. There was actually a second rainbow just too the left but it was too faint for the camera to pick it up.


Next on the agenda was Oahu. We visited the Pearl Harbor and did a city tour and went to a luau that night. This was the sunset at the luau. (If anyone wants to see my dolphin tattoo - temp, of course - that I got at the luau, let me know.)


Then we went to Kauai. It was our favorite island, we think. So beautiful! We visited Waimea Canyon but it was rainy so the pics are misty looking. This is part of the grounds of the hotel we lunched at.


Then to the Big Island. Our first stop was Kona. This is at the Place of Refuge. Gorgeous!


The next day, we stopped on the other side of the island at Hilo. We visited Volcanoes National Park and the Mauna Loa macadamia nut factory. :o) Here's a shot of the Kilauea crater:


Our last stop was Ensenada. This is the courtyard of a former casino...isn't the bougainvillea amazing??


I'll post my book report soon. Nine days at sea means lots of reading time! :-D

Labels: pictures, roaming, vacay

...we interrupt the vacation pics to bring you a reminder that today is Derby Day! What is Derby Day, you ask (you poor uninformed soul) - the day the Kentucky Derby is run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.



No, I've never been to the Derby (I want to go and sit in a box...therefore, a lottery win is required) but I watch it every year. :o) I tend to pull for the long shots and choose my horses by the colors of their silks. Hey, I never claimed to know anything about racing!! ;-)

Post time is 6:00 EDT and it only lasts about 3 minutes so a big time investment isn't required. It's a fabulous spectacle even watching on TV.

Vacay pics up later!!

Labels: entertainment, linkage

Since there is a lot of negativity flying around teh internets today (if you don't know what I'm talking about, go visit Sybil or the Ja(y)nes for excellent summaries) and since I promised to post some vacay pics, I thought I would upload some soothing scenery. :o)





I'll post more pics and a trip summary this weekend, I promise! Until then, repeat it with me peeps: Calm blue ocean, calm blue ocean....